


Genesis

by WillowSong



Category: VIXX
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Angel fic, Angst, Drama, Eventual Smut, M/M, NOT with or between any of the main characters, Romance, Temporary Character Death, Torture, Violence, mentions of past rape, this fic will forever be my baby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2018-07-29 06:14:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 25,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7673161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WillowSong/pseuds/WillowSong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jung Taekwoon knew the laws of the Angels. He was a Warrior and living by the law was what kept him alive in the centuries old war with the Demons. But when he broke one of the most basic rules, saving an innocent man's life, he finds his entire existance cumbling around him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm finally starting to transfer all of my VIXX onto AO3, so I figured I might as well start with this since it's my baby. <3 I hope you will enjoy! ^^

"Why am I here, Hongbin?"

Taekwoon was following closely being Hongbin, casting furtive glances at the crowd around them.

"Would you relax?" Hongbin asked over his shoulder. "No one can see us. I've done this a million times."

"Because it's your job, not mine," Taekwoon growled.

"When was the last time you were on earth, anyway?" Hongbin asked, ignoring Taekwoon's glowering. "It's been a couple hundred years, hasn't it?"

"Two hundred and eight."

Hongbin shook his head. "I don't know how you lot can go so long without coming down here every so often. It gets so boring in the Citadel."

Taekwoon didn't reply, but watched as a car hurtled by them. Things hadn't been this fast the last time he had come to earth. People hadn't been in such a rush. He wasn't completely out of touch with the human world, he had watched its developments over years, but there was something about it that had always repulsed him.

Maybe it was because of the humans, blundering around their lives, never knowing of the battle that ragged beneath the flimsy fabric of their existence. It could also be that it was engrained into his nature. His kind were taught to avoid the human world. It was the realm of the Messengers, not the Warriors, to watch over it.

Hongbin never minded being the humans’ babysitter, though. He and Taekwoon had grown up together, so it hadn't surprised Taekwoon when Hongbin had been chosen to become a Messenger and he, Taekwoon, had been chosen to become a Warrior.

There was no middle ground for an Angel. Either you lived to fret over a world of fallen humans like an invisible nanny, or you lived to crush the Demons, who had invaded billions of years ago and whose very existence polluted the universe. There was no other option.

It was rare for a Warrior to be sent out with a Messenger, but there had been an increasing number of demon attacks near one of Hongbin’s human contacts. They were growing bolder in their actions and, Taekwoon suspected, spawning.

The Council had decided that it would be safer to send a Warrior with Hongbin on his next trip to earth, which was why Taekwoon was now following Hongbin down a busy sidewalk, cloaked in Magic to hide themselves from mortal eyes.

"How much farther?" Taekwoon asked.

"It's that little shop at the next corner," Hongbin replied, pointing.

‘Little’ wasn't the word that Taekwoon would have used. 'Microscopic' might have been a better choice. If Hongbin hadn't pointed it out, Taekwoon wouldn’t have given it a second glance. It was dark brick, without any window to show what was insider. The door was made of heavy metal and was shut tightly against the outside world. A sign above the door had been inscribed in a hurried scrawl: Fortune Telling, Palm Readings, and Antiques.

"What exactly are we doing here?" Taekwoon asked as Hongbin approached the door.

"The shop owner is one of my contacts. We're seeing if he has any new information for us about the increase in demonic activity in the area." He hesitated when he put his hand on the doorknob. "Listen, the man we're about it meet is a bit different. He's human but he posses the Sight."

The Sight was a very rare gift bestowed upon certain humans to enable them to see Angels and Demons.

"He also has questionable loyalty," Hongbin continued. "So just try not to chop his head off, okay?"

Taekwoon glared at Hongbin as he opened the door.

The room they stepped into was dark and heavy with the rancid smell of incense. The dark, narrow walls were crowded with posters depicting various palm readings and star constellations. At the opposite end of the room there was a doorway that was blocked by thick strands of wooden door beads.

"There's something off about this place," Taekwoon muttered.

The words had barely left his lips when the door beads pulled back with a loud clatter and a dark haired man sauntered out. He stopped short when he saw Hongbin and Taekwoon standing in the middle of the room, his eyes narrowing.

Taekwoon froze. The man’s eyes. They were the red eyes of a Demon.

Taekwoon was moving before his mind had even completely registered what he was seeing, his body reacting on instinct. He yanked a knife from the inside of his boot and pressed it against the dark haired man's throat, slamming him hard into the wall.

Hongbin yelled in surprise as the man snarled, sharp teeth bared against white skin, and his fingers digging painfully into Taekwoon's arm that was pinning him to the wall. But even so, something was wrong. Demons were much stronger than humans, even on their worst days, but this one seemed to be only slightly stronger than an average human. But it didn't matter. A Demon was a Demon, no matter how weak.

Taekwoon raise his knife, ready to strike. The Demon glared at him, snarling and trying to rip away, and Hongbin was at Taekwoon's elbow shouting something when-

"That's enough."

The voice cracked down sharply around the scuffle.

Three heads turned to see a tall man with bright orange hair standing in the doorway beside them, holding the door beads aside. He was dressed in jeans and a tank top that showed off his muscular arms with dark tattoos winding down them. He let the door beads fall behind him and crossed his arms across his chest as he surveyed the scene before him with a dark expression.

"Hongbin, I give you a certain amount of freedom in my shop. I would appreciate it if you didn't abuse it by bringing your friends in to kill my other customers," he said.

Hongbin flushed. "I'm sorry, Wonshik," he said. "I guess I didn't explain the rules to him." He turned to Taekwoon. "Put him down," he said softly. "You can't kill them here."

Taekwoon stared at his friend in disbelief, thinking he had misheard. But Hongbin held his gaze until Taekwoon loosened his grip slightly on the dark haired man. The man shoved his hand aside and began to brush himself off.

"If you don't watch the company you keep then the deals off," he said darkly to Wonshik before staking past Taekwoon and Hongbin, slamming the door of the shop behind him as he left.

Wonshik sighed, relaxing slightly. "I'm afraid you may have just landed yourselves in a shitload of trouble," he said. "That man can hold a grudge like you wouldn't believe. He's also very eccentric. Not usually a good mix."

"What the hell was that?" Taekwoon asked, ignoring Wonshik and rounding on Hongbin. "I had a Demon cornered and you wanted me to let him go? Are you crazy?"

"There's a no kill zone here," Hongbin examined. "Wonshik has both Angels and Demons coming here for information and weapons, so none of us are allowed to kill each other when we're on Wonshik's property. There are spells put up to prevent it."

Taekwoon turned to Wonshik. "So you're a double agent?" he asked darkly.

Wonshik smile and shrugged. "I guess you could call it that. Although I prefer thinking of it was having lots of friends in lots of different places. Now, why don't you two come inside?" He disappeared into the back room with a rattle of door beads.

Taekwoon warily followed Hongbin into the back room. It was as dark, the only light coming from two lamps that were covered in purple and blue scarves, which cast a soft, colored glow around the room. There were no decorations or furnishings except for a wood table in the center of the room with a chair sitting on either side. Wonshik sat down in one and Hongbin in the one across from him, leaving Taekwoon to stand at Hongbin's side with his arms folded across his chest.

"What can I do for you gentlemen today?" Wonshik asked, leaning back in his chair and locking his hands behind his head.

"There's been an increased amount of Demonic activity around here," Hongbin said. "We need to know if there's a nest where new Demons are spawning and, if so, where it is."

Wonshik raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, placing his hands in front of him on the table. "That's a valuable bit of information, don't you think?"

"So are you going to tell us?" Taekwoon growled.

Wonshik turned his eyes to Taekwoon and glanced down at the knife that was still gripped tightly in his hand. "Everything has its price," he replied.

Hongbin pulled a small, drawstring bag out of his pocket and set it on the table between them. "That should more than cover it," he said.

Wonshik kept his eyes on Hongbin as he poured the contents of the back onto the table. Taekwoon bit a noise of indignation at the sight of a dozen shiny gold coins spilling onto the table. It was blessed gold, a rare substance from which all the Warrior's weapons were forged. For Hongbin to be giving it away as a bribe to a double agent was a crime that would be punished harshly, should the council discover it.

Wonshik nodded seriously, still not looking away from Hongbin. "Yes, that's sufficient. I do have information for you, but your friend needs to leave. I don't want it getting around that I've been giving out information to Warriors."

Taekwoon glared at him. "How is it any different to tell me things than it is to tell Hongbin?"

Wonshik shrugged. "You have a stricter code than he does."

Hongbin turned to Taekwoon. "It's okay," he soothed, seeing his friend's anger. "Just wait outside the front door, I'll only be a few minutes."

Taekwoon turned on his heel and shoved past the clattering door beads. He shut the front door behind him and leaned against the side of the building, watching the busy city sprawl before him.

The worst part about getting kicked out was that Wonshik was right, Warriors did live by a stricter moral code than Messengers. They couldn't do anything dishonest and they had a hard time controlling magic. That was the main reason why they were strictly forbidden to come into contact with humans. If a human touched a Warrior, they would immediately be able to see the Angel, wings and all. That was the greatest taboo of an angel- being spotted for what you really were. Messengers could either make themselves completely invisible to humans or at least hide their wings to blend in, but Warriors weren't given that kind of training. They were taught only in weapons and killing.

Taekwoon was jerked out of his reverie by a flash of light glinting off of something across the street. His narrowed his eyes against the glare and saw a small man with silver dyed hair standing across the street, holding what looked like a giant board covered in a blinding silvers covering. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, waiting for the light to change, a messenger bag slung haphazardly over his shoulder. When the light finally changed, he began to make his way across the street. It was slow progress since the board was almost as tall as he was and extremely wide, making it difficult for him to see around and causing him to stumble over his feet every few feet. He had just made it to the middle of the intersection when he stumbled again, but this time he fell, landing on his knees on top of the board. His bag slid off his shoulder and landed a few feet away. As he began to scramble to his feet, several things happened. The light switched first to yellow and then to red at the same time a large black station wagon zipped around a corner and headed straight for the silver-haired man.

Taekwoon pushed himself off the wall, and it was as if time slowed down. He saw the silver haired man, instead of looking up at traffic, begin to pick up his bag and the giant board and the driver of the station wagon turn around in his seat to yell at a child sitting in the back. The silver haired man looked up at the very last second and Taekwoon saw the horror register in his eyes as the car careened toward him.

He was going to die.

For the second time that day, Taekwoon's body moved before his mind had even registered the action. He flew across the intersection, picking up the silver haired by the front of his shirt, and landed them both on a tumbled heap on the sidewalk, out of danger.

He looked down at the small man lying beneath him, blinking up at him dazed confusion. The dark eyes widened as he gazed up and Taekwoon knew what he was seeing: A man who had, from the silver haired man's perspective, quite literally materialized out of thin around, tackled him, and was now laying on top of him, with a pair of huge, black feathered wings protruding his back.

“Who are you?” the man whispered.

Taekwoon pulled back and scrambled to his feet with uncharacteristic clumsiness, a knot of dread clinching in his stomach. He turned and saw Hongbin and Wonshik standing outside Wonshik's shop, watching him with twin expressions of horror.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first several chapters are short since they're establishing the story and characters, but they'll get longer as the fic progresses. ^^

Sometimes Hakyeon felt more like a mother to Sanghyuk than a roommate.

It was supposed to be his day off from classes, so he had decided to sleep in and maybe get some homework done in the afternoon. At least, that had been the plan until he had been woken up by a panicked phone call from a Sanghyuk saying that he had forgotten to bring his poster board for his speech.

"Last time a kid forgot his visual aid, the teacher knocked him down a whole letter grade! My speech isn't until the end of class, so can you please bring it? It's in the living room by the sofa. Please, please, please?"

Hakyeon was already pulling his shoes on as he waited for Sanghyuk to take a breath. "Sanghyuk," he finally broke in when it was clear that he wasn't going to get a word in without interrupting. "I can be there in ten minutes. Just calm down and meet me outside your classroom when I get there."

Hakyeon hung up and went into the tiny living room of their shared apartment and immediately regretted agreeing to take the poster to Sanghyuk. It was huge, almost as tall as Hakyeon and definitely too wide to see around. It was made out of shining silver poster board with different cutout and pictures pasted to it. At a glance, before he picked it up with much difficulty, he could see that the topic was something to do with food. Typical Sanghyuk.

Getting the poster down the steps and outside of their apartment was difficult, to say the least. By the time he was only two blocks away from the university he had tripped over fifteen times and was seriously contemplating smashing the poster on Sanghyuk's head when he finally got to school.

He stood at an intersection, watching the light and waiting for it to turn green. He glanced at his watch, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Usually he liked to take his time going to school since he liked this street. There were lots of interesting tiny shops that no one ever seemed to notice, but that also never seemed to go out of business. One tiny shop on the corner was always there, even though Hakyeon never saw anyone entering or leaving. It was a dingy little place that seemed to be a kind of mystic shop. Hakyeon had considered entering it several times, but had always thought better of it at the last minute. It didn't even look like anyone actually worked there. Maybe it was just one of those places that had been abandoned for so long that everyone had just forgotten about it.

The thought had no sooner entered Hakyeon's mind then the door to the shop opened. He squinted at it, waiting for someone to leave, but the door simply banged shut. Maybe a breeze had caught it.

Hakyeon went back to staring at the light, willing it to change. It must have worked because seconds later it flashed green. He picked up the ridiculous poster and started to make his way across the street.

He was half way across when the poster hit his ankle, tripping him. He sprawled onto the ground, landing on his hands and knees. He bit back a curse as he began to pick himself up and reach for his fallen bag. He was definitely going to break something over Sanghyuk's head.

He was leaning over to pick up the poster when the squealing of tires met his ears. He glanced up and saw a black car careening toward him. He barely had time to register his imminent death, let alone move, when something warm and heavy plowed into him from the side.

Hakyeon felt his feet leave the pavement and then he was one his back, his head hitting the sidewalk with a crack. He blinked his eyes, trying to clear them of the haze of pain, and looked up at the heavy shadow that was hovering over him.

It was a man. He had dark red hair and deep, ageless golden eyes that were staring down at Hakyeon with an expression increasing horror. Confused, the thought flashed across Hakyeon's mind that maybe he was bleeding to death or maybe he had something stuck in his teeth from dinner last night, when the shadow above the man spread and widened.

A soft gasp escaped Hakyeon's lips as a pair of huge black wings spread open behind the man.

"Who are you?" The question fell from Hakyeon's lips before he could stop it.

The man's eyes narrowed and he was gone, his warm weight disappearing, leaving Hakyeon cold in its absence. He struggled to sit up and saw the driver of the purple car rushing toward him yelling something, but Hakyeon ignored him as he looked around for the winged man.

He was gone.

His eyes stopped on an orange haired man watching him from across the street with his tattooed arms folded across his chest. When their eyes met, the man turned and disappeared into the mystic shop.

******

Sanghyuk was pacing outside of his classroom when Hakyeon finally stumbled down the hall in a daze.

"What happened to you?" Sanghyuk asked, rushing forward and taking the poster board from him. "You're a half hour late! My speech is in ten minutes."

"I think I almost died," Hakyeon replied, shaking his head.

Sanghyuk froze. "What are you talking about?"

"A car almost hit me, but then somebody saved me, and I'm pretty sure he was an Angel."

Sanghyuk looked at him closely. "Did you hit your head?"

Hakyeon blinked. "Well yes, but that's not the point. He wasn't there and then he just sort of appeared and body slammed me like, really hard. He saved my life and he had wings coming out of his fucking back!"

Sanghyuk stared at him. "Okay, you stay here. My speech will be done soon and then we'll go home and drink tea and you can tell me what happened. Okay?" He moved back toward his classroom door. "Just stay put right there." He pointed toward the floor at Hakyeon's feet. "Don't move." He disappeared into his class, closing the door with a soft clip behind him.

Hakyeon leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. There wasn't any way he could have moved, even if he'd wanted to. The image of the Angel-man kept playing across his mind.

There was something in those gold eyes that scared Hakyeon. The way they look liked they had seen more than Hakyeon ever would, the way that fear and anger had combined in a baffling mix while he stared down at Hakyeon, the way power had radiated off of him.

Hakyeon tried to think of a word to describe the power, anger, and agelessness that radiated off of the Angel, but the only word that he could think of was.... beautiful. The Angel was beautiful and Hakyeon knew that he would give almost anything to see him just one more time.

Hakyeon shook his head and buried his face in his hands. "What's wrong with me?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little warning for a tiny bit of gore(?) in this chapter!

Taekwoon had expected the Council to find out fast, but he hadn't expected to be called back even before he had time to roll off the silver haired man. The familiar and yet strangely ominous pull in his gut was followed by a tingling all over his body as he disintegrated. It was the usual way that Warriors traveled, being disintegrated before the particles of their bodies were pulled back to the Citadel.

Permanent disintegration was the usual method of killing Demons, but it was occasionally used on Angels as well. It hadn't happened in decades, but sometimes when an offender was found guilty, instead of putting them to death, the Council would disintegrate the criminal and scatter the particles of their being around the universe. Their conscious would still live, but they would be in an eternal state of pain as they would live forever as they would never again have a combined physical body to rest in. Even though it was only reserved for the most hideous crimes, it was still a cruel judgment.

But that was the way the Angels’ government was run. Taekwoon had always found it so amusing that the humans thought of Angels as gentle and compassionate. Some of them, like Hongbin, were gentle, but most were merely servants of the law and would uphold it to their last breath, no matter what the cost. That was why Taekwoon wasn't surprised to find himself standing in the middle of a huge, white columned room when he regenerated. He was surrounded by circular platform on which sat an assembly of grim looking Angels.

The Counsel.

"Jung Taekwoon, approach the Council." The voice resonated around him. He could feel the anger seething through the assembled Council as he stepped forward to stop at the bottom of the platform.

"Lee Hongbin, you will serve as a witness to the trial of Jung Taekwoon," the voice said. Hongbin walked forward and stood silently a few feet from Taekwoon.

"Jung Taekwoon," one of the Angels stood and looked down at Taekwoon. It was Taekwoon's old mentor, the General of the Warriors. "I taught you the laws of our people and how to uphold them. I taught you how to fight and how protect the world from the evil of demons. You are the best Warrior the citadel has seen in at least a millennia. So explain to me why it is that you broke one of our basic, fundamental laws, put in place to protect and preserve our way of life, by saving the life of a human boy? Speak!" he thundered.

Taekwoon was silent for a moment. "He was going to die," he finally replied softly.

"Humans die every day!" the General thundered.

"He was too young."

"That's not your decision," another Angel said.

Taekwoon didn't reply. He looked at the Council members in silence.

Another Angel stood up and walked to stand next to the General. "Is that your only defense?" she asked.

Taekwoon remained silent.

"In that case, we will pass judgment."

The General walked slowly down the steps of the platform to stand in front of Taekwoon. "You saved a humans life and, in doing so, you revealed yourself to him as an angel. Is this true?"

Taekwoon nodded his head once slowly.

"And you realize that your actions could potential put the entire Citadel in danger if this boy were to speak of this to the wrong people?"

Taekwoon nodded again.

"How do you plead?"

"Guilty," Taekwoon said softly.

"Please, wait!" Hongbin moved forward. "I was there too, I should be held equally responsible."

"Hongbin, be quite," Taekwoon said without looking at him.

"While you were in the area, you were not directly involved in the crime committed," the General said. "You will not be punished. Now be silent."

Hongbin closed his mouth and stepped back, looking sick.

The General turned back to look at his student. "Jung Taekwoon, you are found guilty of interfering in a humans' life and, in doing so, endangering the Citadel. I now strip you of your wings and banish you to the earth for the rest of your existence."

Taekwoon stood frozen, not able to move as Hongbin gasped softly behind him.

The General stepped forward. “Kneel,” he commanded.

Taekwoon obediently dropped to his knees, moving as if he were in a dream.

The General reached out, gripped Taekwoon’s wings, and pulled. Taekwoon screamed as fire tore through his back as his wings were ripped from his back by the roots. He felt warm, wet blood spread over his shoulders as he sagged to the floor, panting. Pain filled his mind, cutting out Hongbin's shouts and a Council member telling him to stay back.

Taekwoon looked up at the General through pain-hazed eyes. The man looked down at him, no emotions showing in his blank expression. "Jung Taekwoon, you are now banished forever from the Citadel. Never return, on pain of death."

He reached out his hand forward and Taekwoon felt the pull in his gut as his body began to disintegrate. He lost consciousness before he was able to regenerate.


	4. Chapter 4

Wonshik had never enjoyed being in the middle of the war between the Angels and Demons. He knew that what he did was dangerous; giving the right information to the wrong person could mean a swift, painful death for him, but he had been paying both sides of the field long enough to know who to trust with what information. He was good at what he did, although, in a strange way, it did help that both the Angels and the Demons knew that they couldn't fully trust Wonshik.

These days he wasn't giving out too much information anyway. There was too much tension, since there were so many new nests springing up everywhere. He was mostly sticking with selling weapons and spells to both sides. It was a bit cliché to be running a two sided black market from his back room, but it was a living.

Most of his clients had given up on trying to weasel or bribe any information out of him, although a few of them, like Hongbin, still managed to get what they wanted from Wonshik.

Hongbin.

Even for a Messenger, the smiling, brown-haired Angel was ridiculously trusting. Wonshik knew that he wasn't Hongbin's only source of information and he found himself becoming increasingly worried about the Angel's habit of making deals with connections even more dangerous than Wonshik was.

Wonshik knew he shouldn't care. Not caring about his clients was one of the main things that keeps him alive. He had cultivated a hard shell over the years and it annoyed him that one perfect, dimple-faced Angel was destroying it. Wonshik knew that if he cared about someone he would end up destroy himself from the inside out, but every time Hongbin walked into his shop with his bouncy walk and easy smile, Wonshik would feel his heart clench and knew he was slipping further way from the safety of his unfeeling shell.

It made him want to punch Hongbin in his stupid, perfect face.

A banging on the front door jerker Wonshik out of his reverie. He was sitting at his workbench in the back room trying to assemble a particularly difficult spell for a Demon who was particularly picky. He glanced at the clock and saw it was 2am. Even his most annoying customers knew not to come by the shop this late.

He considered ignoring the sound, but when it continued, he got up and stalked into the front room, shoving aside the door beads roughly as he went. He grabbed a knife from a box by the door, just in case, and yanked the door open, ready to start yelling at whatever idiot it was who interrupted him this late, but the words died on his lips as he stared at the sight in front of him.

Hongbin was standing on his doorstep, slightly hunched over, with his friend, Taekwoon, draped over his back. They were both covered in blood and, to Wonshik's horror, it seemed to be coming from two gagged stumps where wings used to be on Taekwoon's back.

"Jesus," Wonshik gasped. "Was he captured?" It was a favorite torture tactic of the Demons to rip the wings off of Angels that they captured. It was a barbaric and humiliating practice, in Wonshik’s opinion.

Hongbin shook his head and in the dim streetlight, Wonshik could have sworn he saw tears glimmering in his eyes. His voice was soft when he replied, "No, he was banished. For helping that human today. I didn't know where else to take him."

Wonshik felt like someone had dropped a stone in his stomach. He had heard of Angel banishments, but never seen one. Even more barbaric than a Demon removing an Angel's wings was for another Angel to remove them.

"Bring him in," Wonshik said, stepping back to make way for Hongbin. He regretting his decision the second he saw relief flood Hongbin's face as he carried his friend inside. This man would be the death of him.

"Thank you," Hongbin began, but Wonshik raised a hand and cut him off.

"We need to stop the bleeding. Follow me." He turned and started shoving some boxes away from the wall before he could change his mind. He knew that what he was about to do was going to make him extremely vulnerable and he was putting a lot of trust in Hongbin, but he didn't let him second guess his decision as he shoved the last box away, relieving a hidden door.

He opened it and gestured to Hongbin to follow. He led the way down a set of dark stairs with Hongbin following behind, carrying Taekwoon carefully.

At the bottom of the stairs, Wonshik flipped on a light switch to reveal a cozy living area with a sofa, shaggy rug, TV, and mini kitchen. A door to the right led into a tiny bedroom.

"Bring him in here," Wonshik said, leading the way into the bedroom and pulling down the quilt from the bed. Hongbin gently set Taekwoon down on his stomach on top of the sheets. It looked like he was completely unconscious, which, in Wonshik's opinion as he inspected the wing stumps closer, was probably good. Blood was still oozing out of the wounds, dripping down his back and soaking into Wonshik's bed.

"Can you help him?" Hongbin asked softly. "I tried to stop the bleeding, but nothing I did helped."

Wonshik shook his head. "I've never done anything like this, but I'll try. Go get some warm water from the kitchen. And rags too. They're in the top drawer by the sink."

Hongbin disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Wonshik the task of peeling back Taekwoon's blood-soaked shirt. It was an unpleasant task and Wonshik had to fight back bile that rose in his throat when he finally got it off and was left staring down at the ripped, jagged stumps, a few dark feathers were still clinging to them.

Hongbin reentered the room and wordlessly handed Wonshik a bowl of warm water and a stack of soft cloths. Wonshik began to dab gently at the blood around the wounds, taking care not to touch them until last.

"Is this where you live?" Hongbin asked. He was staring down at his unconscious friend and Wonshik got the impression that he trying to make small talk to distract himself.

Wonshik took pity on him. "Sometimes. I've got an apartment too, but sometimes I crash here if I work late or if I'm trying to avoid someone who knows where I live."

"That's handy," Hongbin replied.

Wonshik waited for him to say something else, but he didn't. Wonshik looked up and saw Hongbin had wrapped his white, feathered wings tightly around himself and was rocking back and forth on his heels. He looked like he was either going to be sick or start crying.

"Isn't it bad for you to be with him?” Wonshik asked gently. "Won't the Council punish you for being with a fallen Angel?"

Hongbin shook his head. "Messengers don't have to worry about that, not like Warriors do. And I couldn't just leave him, he's my friend."

Wonshik nodded. "I figured you'd say something like that." He turned to a trunk that was sitting against the wall and rooted around in it for a few minutes before straightening up. He looked Hongbin in the eye and said, "This is going to be pretty unpleasant, but I need you to stay in case he wakes up. If he does, you'll need to hold him down."

Hongbin nodded and moved closed to the bed, watching Wonshik's hands the entire time.

"I'm going to stitch the wounds together," Wonshik explained, holding up a needle and thread. There was a tiny flask in his hand too. "And this is a potion that will help the bleeding. It will help with the pain too, but it'll sting like a bitch when I put it on, so be ready in case he wakes up."

Hongbin nodded. "I'm ready."

Wonshik set to work, threading the needle. He uncapped the flask and took a deep breath, glancing up at Hongbin before he poured a few drops into the open wound on Taekwoon's left shoulder. Taekwoon twitched slighting and Hongbin put his hands carefully on his shoulders to hold him down, but Taekwoon’s eyes never opened. Wonshik moved to the right shoulder and, as soon as the first drop of the potion hit the wound, Taekwoon's eyes snapped open and a gasp of pain escaped his lips. He began struggling against Hongbin's grip, but his efforts were weak because of pain and loss of blood.

Wonshik kept moving, ignoring Taekwoon’s struggles, as he finished putting the potion into the wound and began to stitch up the left wound. A broken sob escaped Taekwoon's lips and Hongbin began to murmur softly to him.

"It's okay, Taekwoon, you're going to be fine. You're safe, I won't let them hurt you again. Wonshik will make it better, it's okay. You're safe, you're safe."

Hongbin’s words were almost a chant as Wonshik continued working without looking up. Halfway through stitching up the second wound he felt Taekwoon go limp as he fainted from pain for a second time.

After he tied off the thread, Wonshik gently wiped away the rest of the blood from Taekwoon's back and collected the ruined, blood-soaked rags. He dumped them back into the bowl of water, which had turned crimson, and carried it back into the kitchen.

When he returned to the bedroom, Hongbin hadn't moved at all, still standing beside the bed, staring down at Taekwoon with a strange expression. He was still covered in Taekwoon's drying blood.

Wonshik glanced at the clock next to the bed and saw that it was shortly after 3am. "Hongbin, you should get some sleep," Wonshik said softly. "Or if you want to clean up, the bathroom is over there." Hongbin didn't look up to see where Wonshik was gesturing, so he dropped his hand. "Hongbin?"

"All he did was save a life," Hongbin said softly. "Why is that something that deserves punishment? I stood there and watched him do it, so why didn't they punish me too? They should have."

He trailed off, swaying slightly on his feet. Wonshik reached out a hand to steady him, but thought better of it at the last second and dropped his hand back to his side. Sentiment. It wasn't going to help.

"Hongbin," he said. The Angel blinked up at him. "You need sleep. Clean up and go lay down on the sofa. Now." He gave Hongbin a tiny push toward the door. It really wasn't any wonder that Hongbin was in shock. Seeing the aftermath of Taekwoon getting his wings stripped was bad enough, but seeing the actual act must have been unbearable.

Wonshik followed Hongbin into the tiny living room. They both washed silently at the kitchen sink, splashing the drying blood off of their skin. Wonshik watched as Hongbin finished and turned back to the living room, flinging himself down and the sofa and wrapping his wings around him like a cocoon.

Wonshik followed moments later, sliding down to the floor and curling up on the rug, as he let exhaustion settle over him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wonshik drooling over Hongbin is basically my entire existence. XD


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for everyone who has been reading and commenting so far! I hope you enjoy this update! ^^
> 
> Also, if anyone wants to chat, come visit me on my VIXX [tumblr](http://theleehongbin.tumblr.com) !
> 
> And finally: now enters Ken!! :D

“This is a terrible idea," Sanghyuk said for what seemed to Hakyeon to be the hundredth time.

Hakyeon ignored him and kept walking. He had told Sanghyuk to stay home, but the kid had insisted on accompanying him. He was still convinced that Hakyeon had banged his head the day before and hallucinated the entire thing. But Hakyeon knew that he would never be able to dream up something like that. He didn't have the imagination to come up with those eyes all on his own. Those bright golden eyes. . . .

Hakyeon shook his head and tried to tune Sanghyuk's chatter out, but that was an art he could never quite seem to master.

"It's only five in the morning, he's probably still asleep," Sanghyuk was saying as he trotted along next to Hakyeon. "And why would he even be at his shop this early to begin with? Come on, let's just go home."

"I'm not going home until I get answers. He knew the Angel, I could tell."

"You do know that you sound like a crazy person, right?"

"Is the only reason you came with me to nag and insult me?"

Sanghyuk shrugged, grinning. "That's the only reason you go places with me."

Hakyeon swatted the back of Sanghyuk's head.

Sanghyuk's protest was cut off when they stopped in front of the shop. Hakyeon stood and stared at the door while Sanghyuk hopped nervously from foot to foot behind him with his hands in his pockets. "This is a terrible idea, this is a terrible idea, this is a terrible idea," he chanted under his breath.

Hakyeon ignored him and, taking a deep breath, knocked loudly on the door.

There was no response.

He knocked several more times, each time louder and more insistent. He was about to give up and follow a triumphant Sanghyuk home when he heard a latch being slid open from the other side of the door. It swung open to reveal the man with orange hair and tattoos, looking very grumpy and disheveled.

His eyes widened as he looked down at Hakyeon and Sanghyuk.

"Um," Hakyeon began, not quite sure what to say now that he was here.

The orange haired man saved him the trouble. "I know why you're here," he said bluntly. "Come inside. And be quick about it."

He stepped aside and ushered a bemused Hakyeon and nervous Sanghyuk inside. The room was dark, but Hakyeon could make out an open doorway across the room that looked like it led down into a basement. That was all he had time he register before the orange haired man turned to him.

"You want answers, right?"

Hakyeon nodded mutely.

"If you go down this road, there's no going back. It's dangerous and no one is going to protect you. Got it?"

Hakyeon nodded again.

"Who's the kid?" The man asked, jerking his head at Sanghyuk.

Sanghyuk straighten his shoulders and glared back. "I'm not a kid. My name is Sanghyuk."

"Well, Hyuk, you need to leave. I only destroy one humans’ life per day and today your friend is the lucky sucker," he nodded to Hakyeon for emphasis.

"I said my name is Sanghyuk, not Hyuk. And I'm not going anywhere."

"Maybe you should leave," Hakyeon said softly. "If it's dangerous. . . ."

He let his sentence trail off as Sanghyuk shook his head. "I'm not leaving."

The orange haired man glared grumpily at him. "I'm not asking." He reached forward, grabbed Sanghyuk by his upper arm, and shoved him out the door, bolting it in place behind him.

Through the door Hakyeon could hear shouts of indignation and a fist hammering against the door. The man ignored the noise and turned back to Hakyeon. "My name is Wonshik," he said.

"Hakyeon," Hakyeon replied. "Was that really necessary?" He nodded to the door where Sanghyuk was still making a racket.

"It's up to you if you want to tell the kid about what I'm about to show you. I just didn't really want to show him what I'm going to show you because it's not exactly pleasant."

"What is it?" Hakyeon asked nervously.

Wonshik didn't reply, but gestured for Hakyeon to follow him down the stairs.

They entered a small living room and Hakyeon's eyes were immediately drawn to the sofa where a pile of white feathers was moving gently up and down.

"Wait here," Wonshik said. He walked over to the feathers and poked at them gently. "Hey, wake up."

The feathers shifted and a disheveled mop of hair poked out from underneath them. The man under the mop of hair yawned up at Wonshik. "Wazzit?" he mumbled sleepily.

"We've got company. This is Hakyeon."

The sleepy man looked over Wonshik's shoulder at Hakyeon and froze, his eyes widening.

He began to move slowly and as he sat up, the white feathers shifted and spread. When he was standing, a pair of beautiful, huge, white wings spread and flexed out behind him.

"I knew it," Hakyeon gasped. "There really are Angels. Do you know one with black wings and gold eyes?" he asked eagerly.

"I did," the Angel said softly. "My name is Hongbin. I saw what happened yesterday when Taekwoon saved your life. You're not hurt?" He asked, glancing Hakyeon up and down like he was searching for any injuries.

"No, I'm not. But what about him? Taekwoon? You said you 'did' know him. What do you mean 'did'? Is he alright?"

A strange look passed over Hongbin's face. "He's alive, if that's what you mean." He shook his head. "It would be easier just to show you." He turned and beckoned Hakyeon to follow him into a bedroom.

Wonshik followed them and turned on the light, illuminating a body laying facedown on the bed. The man on the bed was breathing deeply in sleep, but his bare back was covered in bandages that looked like they had been bled through slightly.

Even without the wings, Hakyeon would have recognized him. He felt like he was going to throw up.

"What happened to him?" he choked out.

"He's a Warrior. Warriors aren't allowed to have physical interaction with humans, so his wings were stripped and was banished to earth," Hongbin explained softly.

Hakyeon felt all the air leave his lungs and he sunk to the ground. He was now at eye level with Taekwoon, but the Angel's eyes remained closed in sleep.

"My fault," Hakyeon whispered. "This is my fault."

"No, it's not," Hongbin said. "He knew the rules and what would happen to him. You can't blame yourself."

Hakyeon mutely shook his head before dropping it into his hands. For someone as beautiful and fierce as Taekwoon to have been mutilated just because he had touched Hakyeon was wrong, completely wrong.

"He's right," a soft voice interrupted Hakyeon's thoughts. He looked up to see a pair of gold eyes staring intently at him.

"It's not your fault," Taekwoon said, his voice strained from pain, but still velvet soft.

"Taekwoon! You're awake!" Hongbin bounded to Hakyeon's side and looked down at him. "How do you feel?"

Taekwoon looked up at him silently, but somehow Hakyeon could see 'What do you think, idiot? I just got my wings ripped off' written clearly across his blank expression, like he had said it out loud.

Wonshik hovered over Taekwoon. "Looks like the potion is doing its job. On a scale of one to ten, how bad does it hurt?"

"Mm," was Taekwoon's only response.

"That's not very helpful," Wonshik muttered.

"Taekwoonie, this is Hakyeon," Hongbin said. "I know you already met him, sort of, but at least you know his name now."

Hakyeon hadn't looked away from Taekwoon's eyes and, to his surprise, Taekwoon hadn't looked away from his either. He had expected some kind of rage or hate to be in Taekwoon's expression, but there wasn't any. There was only a kind of gentle curiosity that gave Hakyeon a lump in his throat. How was it that someone who looked this soft could be a Warrior?

"I'm sorry."

The apology had left his mouth before he could stop it and the room fell silent in its wake.

"I'm sorry," he murmured again, finally breaking eye contact with Taekwoon as a small frown appeared on the Angel's face. Hakyeon looked down at his hands.

"It's my fault. I should have been watching where I was going, I should have seen the car. I'm sorry, I’m so sorry." He knew he was rambling, but he couldn't stop himself.

He only stopped when a warm hand rested itself on his lips, cutting off his next apology. He looked up, meeting the intense gold stare again.

"It's not your fault," Taekwoon repeated softly.

The room was silent and Hakyeon was afraid that everyone would be able to hear the sound of his heart beating loudly in his chest. His skin of his lips tingled in a not unpleasant way where Taekwoon's hand rested.

"Well, this is a touching scene," a voice drawled.

Hakyeon jerked back and everyone in the room turned in surprise to the doorway. A man with dark hair was slouched in the doorway, smirking down at Hakyeon and Taekwoon. With a jolt of surprise, Hakyeon realized that the man's eyes were a bright crimson.

There was a movement at Hakyeon's side and before anyone could move to stop him, Taekwoon had sprung off the bed and landed in a crouch between Hakyeon and the man, a dark, almost terrifyingly calm expression on his face. It was then that Hakyeon could see why he was a Warrior.

The man in the doorway smirked even wider. "Relax, Angel-boy," he grinned. "I'm just here to return something."

"You can come back when the store is open," Wonshik said grimly, stepping forward. Hongbin moved with him, looking back and forth between the man and Taekwoon, like he was waiting for one of them to spring at the other.

"I'm not here to return something I bought, sweet cheeks."

Wonshik seethed silently at the nickname, but didn't interrupt the man. In fact, the appearance of the man made Wonshik look uncomfortable. It made Hakyeon wonder, since Wonshik didn't look like someone who would scare easily.

"I think it might belong to your new little human friend." He met Hakyeon's eyes with a grin.

Hakyeon feel like he couldn't take a deep breath, like he was surrounded by every kind of unnamed danger that lurks in the darkness. He couldn't look away from the man's eyes, he was trapped.

Taekwoon snarled and shifted his weight to shield Hakyeon further, breaking the man’s stare. Hakyeon took a deep, shuttering breath and the crimson-eyed man's smile widened.

"So human, is this yours?" He reached behind him and pulled a confused looking Sanghyuk out from behind him. "Because somebody seemed to have misplaced it outside."

"I'm not an 'it'," Sanghyuk glared. "I'm Sanghyuk."

"You're adorable," the man grinned. "All tiny and fierce."

Sanghyuk glared.

"Who are you?" Hakyeon asked, finding his voice. He didn't understand how it was that Sanghyuk was meeting the man's eyes for so long without passing out, but whatever it was that he had done to Hakyeon he didn't seem to be doing to Sanghyuk. All the same, Hakyeon wanted to get his attention away from the younger boy. His plan worked as the man turned back to him.

"Of course, where are my manors?" He swept into a low, mocking bow. "I am a demon, the eight hundred and ninth son of the Great Demon, to be exact. My name is Jaehwan."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Winces and waves sheepishly* I'm finally back haha. XD

Wonshik wanted to crawl under the sofa. Of all the things he had been expecting, this wasn't one of them.

Sanghyuk was staring at Jaehwan. "You're a Demon?" he asked blankly.

Jaehwan turned and grinned at him, his teeth strangely pointy and his red eyes glinting. "That's right. I'm a demon and your buddies over there are Angels, or didn't they tell you? Well, I guess only one of them is an Angel now." He let his sentence hang as he grinned at Taekwoon.

Wonshik felt Hongbin stiffen beside him and step forward. "You need to leave," he said in a dangerously low tone.

Jaehwan didn't have time to answer before Sanghyuk let out a strangled yelp. "Wings," he choked out. "You've got wings!"

"You're so observant," Jaehwan grinned wickedly. “I said he’s an Angel, didn’t I?’

"Hongbin is right, you really need to leave," Wonshik interupted, stepping forward to stand next to Hongbin. "And Taekwoon, you need to lay down," he added. Taekwoon ignored him.

"You two are adorable together," Jaehwan noted, looking closely at Wonshik and Hongbin. Wonshik looked away, blushing, as Jaehwan chuckled. "Aren't they cute, little buddy?" he asked, throwing an arm over Sanghyuk's shoulder.

Sanghyuk flinched as Hakyeon made an indignant noise and made to move forward. Taekwoon held out his arm to stop him, holding him back. "Let the boy go," he said softly, staring steadily at Jaehwan. To Wonshik's surprise, the Demon listened, and dropped his arm.

"You're all very unfriendly to someone who's come here specifically to visit you," he pouted.

"Maybe that's because you never visit anyone unless you're planning on fucking them over somehow," Wonshik said.

"Why are you an Angel?" Sanghyuk blurted out, still staring at Hongbin.

Jaewhan turned to him. "It's not like he can help it. You're not going to faint from shock or anything, are you?"

As if on cue, Taekwoon crumpled. Hakyeon caught him before he could hit the floor.

"Oh dear, is he dead?" Jaehwan asked in a tone that made it clear he wasn't in the least bit worried.

Hongbin rushed across the room and knelt next to Taekwoon. "He's not dead, just unconscious," he said to Hakyeon, who was hovering beside him.

"Will he be alright?" Hakyeon asked.

"Yeah, only most of them go insane after getting their wing removed, not all of them," Jaehwan interjected, grinning at the sick look that spread over Hakyeon's face.

"He's going to go insane?" he asked Hongbin in a strangled voice.

"He had wings too?" Sanghyuk asked blankly. “Is he Hakyeon’s Angel-man?”

"Wonshik, please take those two out," Hongbin instructed as he gently lifted Taekwoon up and placed him on the bed.

Wonshik moved forward and shoved Sanghyuk and Jaehwan out the door, avoiding Jaehwan's eyes, and shut the door behind them.

"It’s so cute that you're turning into the Angels' pet," Jaehwan said.

Wonshik scrubbed a hand over his eyes. "What is that you want, Jaehwan? And don't say you just came to visit, we all know that's bullshit."

Jaehwan turned, walked over to the couch, and sprawled out on it. "I'm here as a go-between of sorts," he said. "The Demons of this fair city are tired of you playing both sides of the field, so they're giving you two options. You can either join us and enjoy our protection for a little while until the Angels catch up with you and kill you, or you can join the Angels and we’ll kill you. It's your choice. Although," he added with a wicked grin. "Judging from you eye-fucking the feather-head a minute ago, I'm guessing I know what your answer is going to be."

Wonshik knew he shouldn't be surprised. It was a marvel that he had gotten away with being an open double agent for so long, but even so, he had never let himself think too far into what he would do if he had to choose a side.

"And what happens if I don't choose?" he finally asked. Sanghyuk was looking between the two, a confused and slightly alarmed expression on his face.

Jaehwan shrugged. "We'll kill you anyway."

Wonshik shook his head. "You're not really giving me much of a choice here."

Jaehwan shrugged. "Not my problem. I'm not a very patient person though, so hurry up and decide how you want to die."

"There's no way I'm joining you," Wonshik said softly. "Even if it does extend my life for awhile."

"I thought you might say that," Jaehwan grinned, his pointed teeth glinting wickedly. Wonshik waited for him to strike, knowing that the Demons didn't like leaving loose ends.

To his surprise, Jaehwan hoisted himself off the bed and walked past him, flicking an indignant Sanghyuk in the forehead as he sauntered slowly back to the stairs.

"I'll let the rest know your answer," he said as he disappeared up the stairs. "Be expecting to hear from us soon."

Wonshik waited until he heard the front door close upstairs before he let his breath out in a deep sigh.

"What was that all about?"

He turned when he heard Hongbin's voice. He hadn't heard the Angel come into the room, but he was standing by the doorway to the bedroom, looking curiously at Wonshik.

"I think he just told a Demon to shove it," Sanghyuk said before Wonshik could reply.

Hongbin raised an eyebrow. "I'm kind of sorry I missed that."

"Yeah, well, I was getting tired of working for both sides anyway," Wonshik said gruffly, trying to ignore the concerned look Hongbin was giving him.

"They're going to kill you," Hongbin said softly.

"Yeah, that's what Jaehwan said too."

"Do you think he'll really do it?" Sanghyuk asked.

"Of course he will, he's a Demon!" Wonshik shook his head. "You've got a lot to learn, kid."

"Which we'll worry about later," Hongbin interrupted, turning back into the bedroom. "Right now we need to get out of here."

Wonshik frowned. "Why? They're going to find me no matter where I hide, so I might as well stay here."

"That's awfully pessimistic of you," Sanghyuk frowned.

"I agree," Hakyeon's voice chimed from the bedroom.

"Nobody asked either of you," Wonshik said, exasperated. "Why are you two even still here, anyway?"

"Don't worry, they're leaving too. We all are. It's too dangerous for anyone to be here now if the Demons want to kill you." Hongbin's voice warned against any further argument, so Wonshik moved to enter the bedroom and help collect his few belongings and Taekwoon.

He only made it two steps before the room exploded around him.


	7. Chapter 7

Taekwoon hadn't completely passed out when he collapsed. He could still hear Hakyeon and Hongbin fretting over him and felt a surge of relief when Wonshik kicked Jaehwan out of the room.

He normally hated Demons on principle, but when this one had looked at Hakyeon he had felt something in himself snap, something he hadn't know even existed. It was strange, he had never felt anything like it before, but he felt a protectiveness for Hayeon that he had never felt toward anyone before.

He heard Hakyeon and Hongbin speaking softly above him, but he couldn't quite make out the words. He was drifting in a haze, fire ripping down his back, pushing him toward blessed unconsciousness, but then with a fresh pang of pain, it would viciously pull him back into consciousness.

He heard Wonshik and Hongbin talking, saying something about leaving. He wanted to beg them to leave him alone and not touch him, but he couldn't seem to find the words.

That's when there was a terrible roaring sound that boomed through the air and shook the bed where he was laying. He heard shouts and felt a warm, soft pressure throw itself on top of him.

He forced his eyes open and saw fire roaring around the room. Hongbin was to his right, crouching over Wonshik and Sanghyuk with his wings extended protectively over them. Spells activated around the room, keeping the fire at bay, but the fire was lapping at the edges spells, trying to find a weakness.

It was Demon fire, Taekwoon realized dimly. More powerful than regular fire, almost to the point where it had a life of its own. It was dangerous enough for Angels, but a human wouldn't last two second in its blaze.

His mind froze. Hakyeon. Where was Hakyeon?

Taekwoon began to move, trying to jump off the bed, but the soft weight on top of him pushed him further into the mattress. Hair that wasn't his own tickles his neck and cheek, and warm breath fanned across his face.

"Hold still," Hakyeon hissed in his ear.

Taekwoon could feel Hakyeon shifting his weight, holding himself up by him arms, and realize with a jolt that even though Hakyeon had stretched himself over Taekwoon to protect him from the explosion, he was taking care not to touch Taekwoon's back.

"We need to get out of here!" Hongbin yelled over the roar of the fire.

"How exactly do you suggest we do that?" Wonshik shouted back. "We're surrounded by fucking Demon fire!"

"Hongbin." Taekwoon's soft voice carried through the fire and Hongbin turned to look at Taekwoon in surprise. "Use your wings."

Hongbin's eyes lit up with understanding. He pushed Wonshik and Sanghyuk closer to the ground before wrapping his arms around Sanghyuk. The boy didn't even bother protesting as he clung to Hongbin, his eyes clenched tightly shut.

Hongbin turned to the other three. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he said before lifting into the air and disappearing into the fire. His huge wings beat, pushing back the flames and creating a path for him as he carried Sanghyuk out. The flames closed back in, shutting off the exit he had created and blocking him from view.

Hakyeon whimpered in Taekwoon's ear as a beam from the ceiling fell close to them. Wonshik yelped as sparks fell around them like fiery rain.

Hongbin appeared by his side, casting a worried glance at Taekwoon and Hakyeon before scooping Wonshik up and disappearing back into the fire.

Taekwoon could see the flames breaking further through the spells, reaching toward them. Smoke was filling the room and Hakyeon was coughing, a dry shuttering sound that racked through him.

Taekwoon reached around him, ignoring the pain that ripped through his back as he pulled Hakyeon off his back and rolled them over in one swift movement so he was on top, looking down at Hakyeon.

"What are you doing?" Hakyeon asked, before another fit of coughing shaking his body.

"You're more breakable than I am," Taekwoon said, his mouth right by Hakyeon's ear as he hovered over him.

He felt Hakyeon shiver.

"Taekwoon, let's go," Hongbin's voice said. Taekwoon turned and saw his friend reaching for him, but he drew back shaking his head.

"Take Hakyeon first."

"What?" Hakyeon yelped, looking from one to the other where he lay on his back underneath Taekwoon. "No, Taekwoon’s hurt, you have to take him!"

The Angels ignored him.

"Taekwoon-" Hongbin began, but Taekwoon cut him off.

"We don't have time to argue about this. Take him and go."

Hongbin glared at him, but reached out and scooped up the protesting Hakyeon from underneath Taekwoon and disappeared into the fire.

Taekwoon eased himself back down onto his stomach and watched as the flames neared him, reaching out with claws, trying to shred through the remaining spells to get to him. He felt it when they broke through the last spell and surged toward him. Right as they were about to reach him he felt soft wings envelope him.

He felt unconsciousness close around him once more as Hongbin lifted him up to carry him to safety.

******

The next time Taekwoon opened his eyes he was laying on his stomach on an unfamiliar bed. Soft morning light filtered into the room around him. His back didn't hurt as badly as it had before, the wounds simply throbbed now instead of the burning agony he had felt before.

He glanced down and saw Hakyeon sitting on the floor beside the bed. His back was against the wall and his head was resting on the bed next to Taekwoon's head. His eyes were closed and his mouth sagged open slightly as he breathed deeply. Taekwoon watched him in silence for a few minutes as he slept, taking in his appearance. He was wearing different clothes than he had been wearing before and dark bruises were now under his eyes, the telltale signs of exhaustion.

Taekwoon reached out his arm, ignoring the pang of pain that the motion triggered his back. He touched his fingers lightly to Hakyeon's soft hair, stroking it gently.

He still didn’t understand it. What had this man done to him? Taekwoon had known the second that he had saved Hakyeon’s life that he would be giving up everything that he had lived for: his wings, his friends, his home, maybe even his sanity. But somehow he couldn’t bring himself to care. It was worth it, seeing Hakyeon sitting safely beside him, without even the smallest scratch.

Why did he feel this way? What had made this human more special to him than the millions of others he had seen over the years?

Hakyeon's eyes fluttered open and he blinked up blearily at Taekwoon. His eyes widened and he leapt to his feet.

"You're awake! Oh, thank god. It's been three day and Hongbin said Angels shouldn't be unconscious for that long unless something was really wrong. How do you feel? Does it hurt anywhere? Can you remember what happened?"

"Mm," Taekwoon said, closing his eyes against the flood of questions. Hakyeon hovered over him, clearly waiting for him to say more.

"Is everyone safe?" Taekwoon finally asked, opening his eyes to look up at Hakyeon again.

Hakyeon nodded. "Hongbin got us all out in time. We're at Sanghyuk and my apartment. As best as we can tell it was that Demon, Jaehwan, that started the fire. Nothing's happened since we got here, though, so we're guessing that means we're safe. For now, at least." He looked down at his feet, shuffling them slightly as he mumbled, "Thank you for saving me again."

Taekwoon frowned. "You saved me too," he said softly.

Hakyeon shrugged. "I guess. I didn't even realize I was doing it, I just started moving." A blush creep across Hakyeon's cheeks as Taekwoon gazed up at him in silence.

"Um, I, uh," Hakyeon stammered. "I should probably go tell Hongbin that you're awake. He's been really worried about you too."

Hakyeon made to turn and leave, but Taekwoon reached out and grabbed his hand. Hakyeon looked down and Taekwoon smiled slightly at the shocked expression on his face.

"Don't leave. Stay," Taekwoon said, yawning and closing his eyes again. "Please. Stay."

Taekwoon felt Hakyeon's fingers close around his as he move closer, taking his seat against the wall again.

"I'll stay as long as you want me to," he murmured, gently squeezing Taekwoon's hand.

As Taekwoon sifted into a deep dreamless slumber, his unspoken response to Hakyeon stayed in his mind.

That might be a long time.

******

The next time Taekwoon woke up the sunlight was gone, replaced by the soft glow from the moon. Hakyeon was snoring gently on the floor next to him, their hands still clasped tightly together.

There was a third presence in the room now, sitting silently on the side of Taekwoon’s bed. Hongbin, looking steadily down at his friend.

“You’re looking a little better,” he noted.

“Mm,” Taekwoon replied, taking in his friend’s appearance. He was wearing a pair of loose sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt that he had ripped two holes in to fit his wings through. He looked just as tired as Hakyeon, with shadows around his eyes, and his wings were wrapped tightly around him in a cocoon. It was a position that Taekwoon was all too familiar with and one that Hongbin usually only used when he was upset.

Taekwoon sighed. “Do I have to start telling you that it’s not your fault either?” he asked.

Hongbin’s shoulders slumped. “I know it’s not my fault,” he muttered. “But I should have tried harder to convince them to pardon you. Or insist that they banish me, too. I should have done something.” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, tousling it.

“It was my decision to save Hakyeon,” Taekwoon replied softly. “None of the rest of you had a hand in it, therefor none of the rest of you are to blame.” He glanced down at Hakyeon’s peaceful face. No, he wasn’t to blame at all.

“I will miss my wings more than I can even possibly begin to describe,” he continued softly. “Every day I will wake up and realize they aren’t there and be faced with the same emptiness that I feel now. It’s cold, Hongbin, so cold without them. But then I’ll remember why I gave them up and some of that emptiness will disappear, little by little, until it’s all but gone.”

Hongbin followed Taekwoon’s gaze as he looked down at Hakyeon and smiled slightly. “I hope it will be enough,” he murmured.

Taekwoon squeezed Hakyeon’s hand gently as he replied, “I hope so, too.”


	8. Chapter 8

"You can't be serious."

Taekwoon was laying on his stomach on Hakyeon's bed. He still wasn't able to move much, so he spent most of his days laying silently on Hakyeon's bed. He didn't sleep much, at least not as much as Hakyeon would like since he needed rest, but he never complained. Except for now, that is.

Hakyeon was standing over the bed, holding a bowl of warm water and a soft cloth. He sighed as Taekwoon looked up at him in horror.

"You've been here for a week, Taekwoon, and you haven't washed at all. You wouldn't let Hongbin help you before, but you still smell like smoke, still have dried blood on you're back, and you're laying on my bed. At this rate, the entire room is going to start reeking. So either you let me do this now, or Hongbin will do it when he, Wonshik, and Sanghyuk get back from buying food."

Taekwoon glared at him for another minute, but Hakyeon kept eye contact, stating the Angel down. Taekwoon finally looked away with a jerky nod of consent.

Hakyeon set the bowl of water down next to the bed and gently pulled the blankets covering Taekwoon off, shoving them onto the floor. Underneath, Taekwoon was shirtless with bandages wrapped around his wounded back. It had bled through while he slept and now the once-white bandages were stained red with dried blood. He wore a pair of Hakyeon's old sweatpants that were too small, the hem of the legs stopping a few inches above his ankle and the waist pulling too tightly around his hips.

"Um. . . ." Hakyeon took a deep breath. "I'm going to need to take your pants off."

Taekwoon didn't say anything, just raised his hips slightly off the bed to allow Hakyeon to slip off the sweatpants. Hakyeon gently hooked his fingers around the waistband, pulling them down slowly so as not to jostle Taekwoon and hurt his wounds.

He pulled the pants all the way off and dropped them to the floor, leaving Taekwoon shivering on his bed in his dark blue boxers. Hakyeon decided to file away for later the information that apparently Angels wore boxers as he turned back to bowl of water and dipped the cloth into it.

He glanced up at Taekwoon to find the Angel staring at him, his face strangly intent. Hakyeon took a deep breath and turned his attention back to his task, trying to ignore the heat of the eyes on him.

He put the cloth gently to the back of Taekwoon's leg and began to wash him. Taekwoon lay still under Hakyeon's hands and, even though he didn't look up from the legs that he was washing, Hakyeon could still feel Taekwoon's eyes on him. It didn't help that he could also feel the hard muscles under Taekwoon's skin and see every line and tiny scar that covered him. For some reason that made Hakyeon flush and he ducked his head to hide it as he moved his attention to the other leg. Taekwoon still wasn't moving, submitting silently to Hakyeon's washing.

When he had finished with the legs, Hakyeon decided to save Taekwoon's back for last, and instead turned his attention to Taekwoon's arms and neck. Flecks of blood peppered his skin and Hakyeon wiped them off gently.

"You have so many scars," he murmured.

He didn't expect Taekwoon to answer, it surprised him when he said in quiet response, "I've been in a lot of battles."

Hakyeon finished the second arm, dropping the rag back into the bowl of water. "How old are you, exactly?" he asked, finally meeting Taekwoon's gaze.

"I'm not sure," Taekwoon said. "Angels don't really pay attention to age. A few thousand years, at least."

Hakyeon felt his jaw drop. "Are you serious?"

"Mm," Taekwoon murmured.

Hakyeon whistled. "Well, um. You're certainly aging well."

Even though his expression didn't change, Hakyeon could sense Taekwoon's amusement. He flushed again and looked down at Taewkoon bandage-covers back.

"I'm going to need to change your bandages," he mumbled.

He helped Taekwoon raise up so he was sitting. Hakyeon could see that it was taking Taekwoon lot of effort to stay upright, so he hastened to unwrap the bandages. He worked as fast as he could while trying to be gentle, but despite his light touches he could see the tension in Taekwoon's shoulders and a muscle in his jaw twitch in pain.

As Hakyeon unwrapped the final bandage, letting the blood-crusted cloth fall to the floor, he bit his lip to keep from crying out at the sight of the two jagged rips in Taekwoon's back. He would never get used to seeing them, but he pushed aside the sick feeling in his chest as he dipped the cloth back into the bowl and set to work.

He started at outside and worked his way in closer to the wounds. He cleaned as close to them as he dared, wiping away the remaining blood that had crusted over on Taekwoon's back. He heard Taekwoon take a sharp breath in as he got too close to the one of the wounds.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, pulling back. He had done all that he could without hurting Taekwoon further. Except for one remaining place.

"I'm going to have to wash your chest now."

Taekwoon stilled and Hakyeon saw a flush creep up the back of his neck. For some reason, seeing Taekwoon's innocent embarrassment soothed his own shyness as he walked around the bed and stood facing Taekwoon.

He dunked the cloth again before he reached out and gently ran it down the hard muscles of Taekwoon's chest. Taekwoon's breathing shallowed as Hakyeon washed his chest, the cloth running over his skin in a gentle pattern. Hakyeon pulled back and dropped the cloth back into the water bowl.

"I think that's going to have to tide you over for now," he said. "We'll have to wait to wash your hair until you're a little bit stronger."

Taekwoon nodded as Hakyeon began to wrap a fresh bandage around his wounds. When he had finished, he retrieved a fresh pair of sweatpants from his closet. He helped Taekwoon pull them over his feet and slide them up his legs without either of them meeting the others' eyes.

By the time the sweatpants were in place around Taekwoon's hips he was pale and visibly shaking with the effort of holding himself upright.

Hakyeon helped him turn back onto his stomach and lower down gently onto his stomach.

"Try to get some sleep now," Hakyeon said as he picked up the dirty bandages from the floor and the bowl of water.

As he was shutting the door behind him, he heard a soft voice murmur, "Thank you, Hakyeon."

******

"I am about to make all your dreams come true, just so you know," Hakyeon said.

Taekwoon looked up at him skeptically.

"So little faith," Hakyeon huffed, turning away.

This was the first day that Taekwoon had managed to walk out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, where he was now seated at the table, watching Hakyeon intently as he poured a cup of coffee into a mug.

"I can't believe they don't have coffee in the Citadel," Hakyeon muttered to himself. "Seriously, think of the possibilities that caffeine could give you."

"Angels don't need to eat very much," Taekwoon said.

"College students don't eat much either, but we sure as hell drink a lot of coffee."

He set the mug down in front of Taekwoon before taking the seat across from him. He could hear the TV playing in the living room where Wonshik and Sanghyuk were shouting at a show that sounded suspiciously like a cooking show with Hongbin laughing at both them.

Taekwoon looked down at the mug blankly. "It looks weird."

"It's delicious. Drink it," Hakyeon said serenely.

Taekwoon obediently picked up the mug and, after shooting Hakyeon one last uncertain look, took a sip.

Hakyeon watched closely as Taekwoon swallowed. His eyes brightened and he looked back down at the cup. Even though his expression didn't change, Hakyeon could tell somehow sense his excitement as he took another drink.

"Like it?" Hakyeon asked with a grin.

"Mm," Taekwoon mumbled, his voice muffled by the cup. He had stopped bothering to set it down, drinking deeply until he had drained all of its contents. He looked down at the empty mug and his shoulder drooped.

Hakyeon couldn't help it, he started laughing. "We have more, you know."

Taekwoon looked up at him and, without a word, pushed the mug back into Hakyeon's hands and sat back to wait.

Hakyeon brought him a second mug and watched as he drained it for the second time, wondering if it was possible for Angels to get caffeine addictions.


	9. Chapter 9

"I don't understand why they all have to be here," Sanghyuk whispered.

It was late afternoon and they had just gotten home from class. They were standing outside their apartment with their heads bent closely together.

"I know you feel bad, but Wonshik's shop blowing up wasn't your fault,” Sanghyuk continued. “Can't you tell him to leave? It's seriously getting way too crowded in there."

"You know he has nowhere else to go," Hakyeon whispered back. "And you heard what Hongbin said, he can't go back to anywhere he frequented before, which means he has no home. We can't just kick him out."

It had been over three weeks since the explosion and all of them were still on edge. Wonshik had enough spells placed around his bedroom that they had made it out with only a few cuts and bruises, but it had left all of them slightly paranoid.

Wonshik had taken to replacing the spells he had installed around Hakyeon and Sanghyuk's apartment at least twice a day. Hongbin jumped every time there was a loud noise, which was frequently, considering that they lived in the middle of the city, and Hakyeon and Sanghyuk never walked anywhere without the other. The stress even seemed to be taking a toll on Taekwoon. Hongbin told Hakyeon that he would sit at the kitchen table and stare at the door all day until Hakyeon and Sanghyuk returned from school. And what made it all worse was that none of them had seen any sign of a Demon since the attack.

Sanghyuk was right though, even without the overwhelming paranoia that was possessing all of them, the apartment was not meant for five people to share.

"We're just going to have to make the most of it for now," Hakyeon said, trying to appease the agitated Sanghyuk.

"I can't even move anymore! Every time I turn around, I either trip over Taekwoon who just sits there and stares at you all day, run into Wonshik while he's doing some crazy experiment with spells, or get a mouth full of feathers from Hongbin's wings. Someone has to go, Hakyeon."

Before Hakyeon could respond, the door opened behind them and Hongbin poked his head outside.

"Oh, good, you're back. I was just about to go look for you. Hakyeon, you better get in here, Taekwoon hasn't eaten anything since you left this morning. I think he's moping again."

They followed Hongbin into the kitchen to see Taekwoon and Wonshik sitting across from each other across the table. Wonshik was hunched over something that looked alarmingly like a bomb, ignoring all of them, and Taekwoon was staring intently at the door. He sat up slightly straighter when his gaze zeroed in on Hakyeon.

"Taekwoon, you need to eat," Hakyeon chided as he walked over to the table.

Taekwoon blinked up at him.

Sanghyuk boosted himself up on the counter and pulled out his phone, ignoring them.

"Here, eat this," Hongbin plucked an apple from a bowl of fruit on the counter and shoved it at Taekwoon.

Taekwoon looked at it and, even though his expression didn't change, Hakyeon could sense disgust in his stoney expression.

"Or you could have this?" Hakyeon handed him an orange. Taekwoon looked at it for a minute before he took it and started to slowly peel and eat it.

Hongbin shook his head. "He's getting worse. I think you're going to need to start taking him to school with you. He just sits there all day and pines."

"I don't pine," Taekwoon muttered.

"Yes, you do."

Hakyeon shook his head. "He's still too weak to go anywhere." They both glanced down at Taekwoon who had gone back to ignoring them. He was still wearing Hakyeon's clothes, old sweatpants and a loose fitting t shirt, but Hakyeon knew that underneath it there were still bandages wrapped around his chest and back. Wonshik had removed the stitches the day before but had to restitch it several hours later when the wounds had started bleeding again.

Hakyeon still felt the crushing weight of guilt every time he thought of Taekwoon's beautiful wings, but Taekwoon wouldn't let him say anything more about it. Every time Hakyeon tried, the Angel would glare at him silently, effectively ending the conversation before it even started.

Hakyeon knew without Taekwoon having to tell him that part of it was that he didn't want to think about his wings. But Hakyeon also got the impression that Taekwoon had meant it when he said it wasn't Hakyeon's fault. Somehow that hurt even more than if Taekwoon blamed him for it.

"I need to talk to you for a minute," Hongbin was saying as he motioned for Hakyeon to follow him into Hakyeon's small bedroom. They closed the door behind them and Hongbin turned to Hakyeon.

"I've never seen him like this," he said in a low voice. "I don't know what to do. I've been gone from the Citadel for weeks now, even that's a long time for a Messenger to be gone. I need to go back, but I don't want to leave Taekwoon alone when he's like this."

"He won't be alone," Hakyeon said. "Sanghyuk, Wonshik, and I will all be here."

Hongbin shook his head. "That's another thing. Wonshik told me today that he's leaving tomorrow. He said he needed to go see someone and wouldn't say anything more than that. He said he would leave medicine for Taekwoon and would be back before it was gone."

"So Taekwoon is going to be here by himself when Sanghyuk and I are at school?" Hakyeon asked. He was beginning to see why Hongbin was so worried.

"Yeah. And if the past few weeks are any indication of how he's going to act left alone, then I think we're all in trouble."

"You don't think. . . ." Hakyeon hesitated before he plunged ahead. "Do you think he's going crazy?" he finished in a rush. He remembered the Demon, Jaehwan, saying something about it before he blew up Wonshik’s apartment. It had been in the back of Hakyeon’s mind every since, but this was the first chance he had had to mention it.

Hongbin sat down on the edge of the bed and scrubbed a hand across his eyes. "No, I don't think so. When Angels go crazy it’s called The Madness. It happened when they're stripped of their wings because that means they've had their very essence taken away. They don't know what to do with themselves. I think Taekwoon has the exact opposite problem. He knows exactly what he wants to do, but he's physically too weak to do it. But instead of driving him crazy, it's helping him to push himself to get better."

"What do you mean?" Hakyeon asked. "What's pushing him?"

Hongbin raised an eyebrow like Hakyeon had just asked a fairly stupid question. "You are."

"What?" Hakyeon asked blankly.

"He wants to get better because he wants to protect you. He's wanted to from the first time you met, as proven by the fact that he saved your life, even knowing the consequences."

Hakyeon stared at him blankly. “He barely knows me, why would he want to do that?."

Hongbin smiled. "Maybe you should ask him that."

There was a soft knock on the door and Sanghyuk poked his head into the room, saving Hakyeon from having to think of something to say.

"You guys might want to come out here," Sanghyuk said. "Taekwoon fell asleep on the table again and I think Wonshik is about to blow up a bomb or something."

Hongbin ran out of the room after Sanghyuk, leaving Hakyeon alone to think about what he had said.

******

The next morning Wonshik and Hongbin left. Hongbin told them that he was going back to the Citadel and might not be back for several days. Wonshik assured them that he would be back soon as well, but wouldn't tell them where he was going, despite both Hakyeon and Hongbin trying to convince him to tell them. Sanghyuk left for class shortly after Hongbin and Wonshik left and Hakyeon decided that he would skip class to stay home with Taekwoon, who was still asleep.

Hakyeon sat in the kitchen trying to do homework, but his mind kept wandering. Just several weeks ago he would have laughed if anyone told him that Angels and Demons were real. Sometimes it didn’t even seem real and he thought that he would wake up to find that it had all been an elaborate dream from his overactive imagination. But that never happened. This was his new reality: Angels, Demons, spells, and ancient battles.

He already missed Wonshik and Hongbin's presence in the apartment, despite the fact that there was now significantly more room to move around. He had formed a strange sort of friendship with Hongbin that mostly consisted of them hovering over Taekwoon. Wonshik had been an anchor for him as well. He kept Sanghyuk busy by showing him different spells and teaching him and the history of Angels and Demons, as well as the various stories behind his numerous tattoos. Hakyeon tried to avoid those stories since they were usually slightly gruesome.

By noon the day Wonshik and Hongbin left, Taekwoon still wasn't awake. Hakyeon was still at the kitchen table, having given up on homework, now with a cup of hot tea cradled between his hands. After his talk with Hongbin the night before he had avoided eye contact with Taekwoon for the rest of the night. It had been difficult since even when he wasn't looking he could feel the Angel's stare burning into him. It made his cheeks flush and he found himself stumbling over his words in a way that had Sanghyuk staring at him in confusion for most of the night.

Hakyeon didn't understand the effect that Taekwoon was having on him. He had been attracted to people before, even fallen in love. He wasn't unfamiliar with the effect that attraction to someone could have on him, but he had always been careful about who he fell for. Somehow though, Taekwoon had Hakyeon tripping over himself with just a single glance.

It wasn't fair.

Taekwoon padded softly into the kitchen, breaking Hakyeon’s train of thought, and plopped down in the chair across from Hakyeon without a word. His golden eyes watched Hakyeon steadily, taking in how Hakyeon fiddled with the handle of his cup as a way to avoid eye contact.

"Hongbin and Wonshik left this morning," Hakyeon said.

Taekwoon nodded slowly.

"Sanghyuk is at school. I decided to skip today."

More nodding.

Hakyeon was silent for a moment before he burst out, "Why don't you blame me? You lost everything because of me, so how can you just sit there and look at me like that? You lost your home, your wings, your job.... I don't understand why you don't hate me."

The silence that followed Hakyeon’s outburst was deafening. He bit his lip, regretting saying anything. He hadn’t even been thinking about Taekwoon’s wings when the Angel had entered the room, so why hadn’t he been able to keep his mouth shut and not bring up a subject that Taekwoon clearly didn’t want to discuss?

Hakyeon finally looked up to meet Taekwoon's eyes. There was something soft in his expression, something that looked almost sad.

"It wasn't your fault," Taekwoon said softly, repeating what he had said before. Hakyeon thought he was done speaking, but then he continued. "I don't know why I saved you," he said, his voice soft. "I didn't mean to, I just started moving and the next thing I knew, I had saved your life. But I know that I would do it again."

Hakyeon swallowed. "Why?"

Taekwoon tilted his head slightly, like he was confused by the question. He stood up and moved slowly, almost lazily around the table until he was standing in front of Hakyeon. He held out his hand. Hakyeon hesitantly accepted it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

He fought the urge to take a step back. He was standing so close to Taekwoon that their chests were almost brushing. Taekwoon hadn't broken eye contact with him the entire time and Hakyeon was beginning to think that he might have a heart attack.

He jumped slightly when Taekwoon raised his hand and brushed it gently over Hakyeon's cheek before dropping it down and resting it lightly on Hakyeon's hip.

Hakyeon's breath hitched as Taekwoon leaned forward, his breath fanning across Hakyeon's face.

When their lips met, it was just the gentlest brush, barely a whisper of a kiss. Hakyeon stood, frozen in shock as he felt Taekwoon rub the hand that wasn't resting on Hakyeon's hip gently down his back. It was a soothing gesture, like he was comforting Hakyeon.

Taekwoon pulled back and looked down at Hakyeon, who still stood shell-shocked.

"Because I'm drawn to you in a way that I can't explain," Taekwoon murmured, answering Hakyeon's question. "And it scares me."

Hakyeon took a deep, shuttering breath and reached up a hand tentatively, resting it on the side of Taekwoon's face. The Angel stepped forward closing the remaining distance between them-

"Why do teachers insist on assigning everything at once?"

Hakyeon jumped back at the sound of the loud complaint coming from the doorway where Sanghyuk had just walked in. He didn't notice Hakyeon's red face as he turned away, pretending to be busy rearranging the fruit bowl on the counter, or Taekwoon's blinking, bemused expression like he had just been woken up from a dream.

Throughout the rest of the day, Hakyeon couldn't concentrate on anything. He kept coming back to one thought: how it would feel to have Taekwoon's lips touch rest of his body and what Taekwoon would taste like beneath Hakyeon's own lips.

He had it bad.


	10. Chapter 10

Wonshik looked up at the dilapidated apartment building. A 'condemned' sign was hanging on the door, but judging from its faded paint and the graffiti sprayed over it, it had been there for a long time.

Wonshik had been walking the streets of the city for close to a week now, trying to track down this apartment, but he was surprised when he was finally standing in front of it. He had always assumed that Demons would live in ritzier places than this, but apparently not.

He took a step forward, raising his hand to knock, but froze when the door was flung open.

Jaehwan stood in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest. "Ooo company!" he chirped. "I've been looking everywhere for you and your new Angel fuck-muffin. Nice of you to come turn yourself in and save me the trouble."

"I'm not turning myself in. I'm here to negotiate."

Jaehwan raised an eyebrow. "Demons don't negotiate, pudding cup."

"You do when there's something in it for you."

"And what, pray tell, is in it for me?"

"I won't sell you out. We've been doing business for seven years and I know every dirty little business secret that you've been hiding that I'm sure your nest would be very interested in hearing about."

Jaehwan's eyes narrowed and he took a slow step down so he was at eye level with Wonshik. "You're threatening to blackmail me, human?" he hissed softly.

Wonshik fought back the nausea that rolled across him as he stared into Jaehwan's fathomless red eyes.

It was a simple trick that Demons had learned years ago. It consisted of making eye contact with someone to glamor them, either making them ill or simply frightening them, and it was very effective.

"I know enough to make your best friends want to rip you apart," Wonshik gasped, fighting back the nausea. He learned to fight back against glamor years ago, it was one of the things that kept him alive when working with Demons.

Jaehwan looked away abruptly, breaking eye contact. Wonshik felt the glamor drift away from him and he took a deep breath, steadying himself.

"Come inside," Jaehwan said. "This isn't something we need to be discussing in the open." He turned on his heel and walked back into his apartment without looking to see if Wonshik would follow.

Every cell in Wonshik's body screamed at him to run away. No one in their right mind walked willingly into Demon's home. But, then again, there was a fairly good chance that Wonshik wasn't in his right mind.

He followed Jaehwan inside, closing the door reluctantly him as he glanced around the apartment. The inside was much nicer than the building's outside appearance had led him to believe. The walls were brick and the floor was stained dark wood. There was a tacky bear rug in the middle of the room, in front of a glass coffee table and leather sofa. A huge flat screen TV sat across from the sofa and evidence of past meals, dirty dishes, and takeout boxes, were strewn about the room.

So Demons didn't just feed off the tortured screams of the damned. Interesting.

Jaehwan threw himself down of the sofa, lounging out and pulling a bowl of popcorn toward him. "So exactly what deal are you proposing?" Jaehwan asked, stuffing some popcorn into his mouth.

Wonshik stood in the middle of the room and crossed his arms. "I want you to leave my friends alone. All of them."

Jaehwan looked at him curiously. "I thought you didn't believe in friends."

"I don't, it just. . . . sort of happened," Wonshik muttered, shuffling his feet.

Jaehwan grinned. "No, what happened is that you got a crush. You're getting soft, Won-won. It's going to get you killed."

"Probably," Wonshik muttered. He didn't bother arguing with Jaehwan's assessment of his feelings for Hongbin. Demons were extremely intuitive, which was how they were able to manipulate people so easily.

"So let me get this straight,"Jaehwan said, sitting up. "If I make sure that none of your new pets get hurt in the crossfire of us trying to hunt you down, then you'll keep your trap shut about my dealings that would make the nest less than proud of me?"

Wonshik nodded. "That's right."

"I could just kill you now, you know," Jaehwan said, looking closely as Wonshik as if to gauge his reaction.

"You could try," Wonshik replied softly.

Jaehwan peered at him for a moment before he burst out laughing. "Alright, fine. I'll try to leave your pets and your feather-head out of it. Happy?"

Wonshik shook his head. "Show me both of your hands and swear it."

The practice of crossing your fingers while telling a lie came from an ancient Demon practice. When a Demon swore something, they were physically incapable of going back on that oath. The only catch was that if they crossed their fingers, releasing a kind of glamor, their oath became null.

Jaehwan sigh. "So untrusting." He raised his hands, splaying his fingers for Wonshik to see. "I swear on the Great Demon that I will try my best to leave your Angel and human babies out of our manhunt for you." He dropped his hands. "Satisfied?"

Wonshik nodded.

"Good. Although I'm beginning to think that I need some kind of assurance from you that you aren't going to go blabbing to the nest if I do something that pisses you off. Like, if I turned you in right now, for instance. How do I know you won't tell them what I've done in retaliation?"

"I don't care what happens to me, just so long as you leave the rest of them out of it," Wonshik said.

"You say that now," Jaehwan said silkily. "But what would happen if I knocked you out right now and took you to the nest? Do you know what they will do to you?"

"Kill me."

"Oh, that's not the half of it, sugar pie." Jaehwan purred as he stood up and walked slowly forward, every muscle of him screaming predator. "To say that they're going to torture you would be a complete understatement. They enjoy pain, they love inflicting it. They're going to take you apart and put you back together, just so that they can take you apart again in an entirely new and painful way." He began to circle Wonshik who took a deep breath to steady himself. "You'll scream and beg, but they'll only laugh. You'll say anything to get them to stop. You'd sell out anyone, you lover, your friends. . . . Me. . . ." He let his sentence trail off as he stopped in front of Wonshik. "I need insurance."

"What kind of insurance?" Wonshik bit out, trying to ignore the fear that was coursing through him. This is what Demons lived for: manipulation and pain.

"I want a vile of your blood."

Jaehwan's sentence hung in the air like a bomb waiting to explode.

"You've got to be kidding me," Wonshik said darkly.

"Either that or I'll cut out your tongue so you can't speak and drag you by your hair to the nest. Your choice."

Wonshik glared at Jaehwan, wondering how someone who could look and smile as angelically as Jaehwan was could really be so evil and malicious.

For a Demon to possess any of your blood was basically putting your fate in their hands. They would use a person’s blood to control their actions, making them a slave. It was an ancient practice and rarely used anymore, even among the more malicious Demons as it requires spells that were forgotten by most. But if anyone would remember them, it would be Jaehwan.

Unfortunately, Jaehwan hadn't left Wonshik much of a choice.

"Fine," Wonshik spat. "One vile."

Jaehwan grabbed his arm almost before the words had let Wonshik's mouth. There was a tiny glass vial in his hand, but Wonshik barely had time to wonder where he had gotten it when Jaehwan pierced the soft inside of Wonshik's arm with his sharp, claw-like fingernail. Wonshik hissed softly as the skin broke and crimson blood began to seep out.

Jaehwan held the vial under the flow, letting the blood trickle into the vial. He held Wonshik's arm in a vice-like grip, not looking up, but instead watching the blood flow greedily. When the vial was full, he dropped Wonshik's arm and put a stopper in it. Wonshik recognized it as a magical seal, one that he used to sell. It was unbreakable to anyone but the person who had placed it on the lid.

Jaehwan turned and placed the bottle carefully into a drawer on the dresser where the TV sat. He turned back to Wonshik who was holding the wound, trying to stop the blood flow.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you," Jaehwan said, grinning so wide that his sharp teeth glinted.

With a sinking feeling, Wonshik realized that he may have made a huge mistake.


	11. Chapter 11

Taekwoon watched Hakyeon carefully for the next several days. The human avoided eye contact, blushing whenever he noticed Taekwoon staring at him. He practically ran out the door every morning for his classes and returned just as embarrassed and shy as he had been when he left.

By the fifth day, Taekwoon had had enough.

It was the day that Hakyeon usually called Saturday, where both he and Sanghyuk spent the day sleeping late, sitting around in their pajamas, and putting off all of their work until the next day, which Hakyeon called Sunday. Sunday was when they would both complain about how much they had to do and how they never had any free time. Humans made no sense.

When Hakyeon finally trudged into the kitchen, it was around ten in the morning. Sanghyuk hadn't shown any signs of movement yet.

Taekwoon sat on the sofa, watching as Hakyeon poured himself a glass of juice, oblivious to Taekwoon's gaze, as he drained the glass and shuffled off to the bathroom.

Taekwoon could hear the shower water running as he stood up slowly from the couch and walked over the bathroom door. He leaned against the narrow wall across from it, folding his arms as he waited.

Hakyeon never took fast showers, but on Saturdays he was even more agonizingly slow. After living several lifetimes, Taekwoon had thought that he had perfected the art of patience, but as he listened to the water still running nearly an hour after Hakyeon had turned it on, he began to tap a finger against his arm in impatience.

When the water finally shut off, Taekwoon shrugged off the wall. A moment later the door opened, emitting Hakyeon, dressed only in a towel that hung loosely on his hips. Enough steam billowed out with him to make Taekwoon wonder how Hakyeon hadn't suffocated in the small bathroom.

Taekwoon crossed the hall in one stride, grabbed Hakyeon and pressed him into the wall by the bathroom door. Hakyeon let out a tiny squeak, his eyes widening. Without saying a word, Taekwoon bent down and kissed Hakyeon, his hands sliding over Hakyeon's still-damp chest before they fell and rested gently on his towel-clad hips. Hakyeon had stood frozen for a moment, but then he fell into the kiss, tugging Taekwoon closer to him and opening his mouth to let Taekwoon's tongue enter and explore.

Taekwoon had no idea how long they stood there kissing, but when they finally broke apart, they were both breathless. Neither of them moved to put any more space between them so that only an inch of space separated them.

Hakyeon's breath fanned over Taekwoon face as he asked breathlessly, "What was that for?"

"You wouldn't look me in the eye," Taekwoon explained softly, brushing back a strand of damp hair that had fallen into Hakyeon's eyes.

Hakyeon flushed and tried to look down but Taekwoon caught his chin and gently lifted it back up. "I like your eyes," he murmured. Hakyeon's blush deepened, but he didn't look away.

Someone cleared his throat loudly several feel away, cutting through the warm silence that had filled the hall. Hakyeon jumped and even Taekwoon was a little surprise as he turned to see Sanghyuk standing a few feet away, watching then with an expression of mingled amusement and disgust. It really shouldn't be too much of a shock that he hadn't heard the boy approach, he had been extremely distracted.

Sanghyuk looked from one to the other before saying in an exasperated tone, "I'm all for early morning make out sessions, but do you have to do that right outside the bathroom? I need to shower."

******

Over the next few days, Taekwoon watched as Hakyeon slowly began to open up and draw closer to Taekwoon. He would reach for Taekwoon's hand, tentatively, as if afraid he would pull away. When he found that Taekwoon would remain completely still while they held hands, not pulling away or rebuffing him, Hakyeon began to reach for his hand more and more often.

The first time he instigated a kiss with Taekwoon, it was only a soft, slightly embarrassed peck as he dashed out the door to his classes, but it still made Taekwoon feel like he was floating. The swift goodbye kiss slowly developed into a habit that Taekwoon thoroughly enjoyed.

As the days passed, Hakyeon became less conscious of his actions around Taewkoon. He would take his hand without even registering his action, or wrap his arms around the Angel's waist in a vice-like hug that made Taekwoon feel like he was being crushed by a python.

Hakyeon had continued sleeping on the floor next the bed which he had insisted that Taekwoon sleep in. Taekwoon had suggested once that they share, since it was a double bed, but had quickly dropped the idea when Hakyeon's face turned bright red and he almost ran out of the room.

Taekwoon, in his turn, found his days becoming emptier while Hakyeon was away. He hadn't liked it before when Hakyeon left since he had been afraid that the Council would send a Warrior to right the fact that, in their eyes, Hakyeon should be dead. He had felt that it was his responsibility to keep Hakyeon safe since he had brought the human to the Council's attention to begin with, but now Hakyeon's absences during the day were next to unbearable.

Taekwoon's strength was slowly returning, but even so he was still too weak to accompany Hakyeon out during the day. Since he was forced to stay home, he began to use the weights that Sanghyuk kept in his room in an attempt to regain his strength faster. It was the only thing he could do during the day since TV really held no interest for him and neither Sanghyuk nor Hakyeon had many books.

Taekwoon found himself living for the weekends because it was the time when Hakyeon would be home and Taewkoon didn't have to share him with anyone else. Sanghyuk stayed out of sight as much as he could since the first day he had caught them kissing.

Taekwoon would sit and watch Hakyeon struggle with his homework, silently studying Hakyeon's soft, human features as he chewed on the end of his pencil and glared at his open textbooks.

The days that Hakyeon didn't have homework were the best, though. He began to make a game of making Taekwoon try something new as often as possible. It began when Hakyeon found out that Angels didn't eat very much and so forced Taekwoon to start eating odd substances like broccoli or spinach, saying that it would help Taekwoon get stronger. All Taewkoon seemed to get from it though was a strange aftertaste, but he humored Hakyeon since forcing people to eat gross vegetables seemed to please him.

One day however, Hakyeon decided that Taekwoon was healed enough that it was time to introduce him to the outside world. He took Taekwoon's hand and led him out of their apartment and onto the sidewalk. Taekwoon looked around him at the bustling city, everyone in a hurry, shouting and shoving each at other. Taekwoon never understood how Hongbin could stand to be in a city like this for the long stretches, everything just moved too fast.

At the thought of Hongbin, Taekwoon felt a twinge of unease in his chest. Both Hongbin and Wonshik had been gone for several weeks now and they hadn't heard anything from either of them. It wasn't like Hongbin to drop off without a word like that.

Hakyeon, noticing Taekwoon's distraction squeezed his hand to get his attention. "Let's go to a café down the street, I think you'll like it."

"Is their coffee as good as yours?" Taekwoon murmured.

"Probably not," Hakyeon laughed as began to pull Taekwoon along behind him, dodging between other busy pedestrians. Taekwoon was slightly disappointed that they only went a few doors down from their apartment before ducking it a tiny shop. The entire front was glass window and there were several round tables both inside and outside were people were sitting, drinking various beverages, and talking.

Humans were so odd.

Hakyeon pulled Taekwoon up to the counter where a woman with dark dreadlocks and a maroon apron stood.

"Can I get a hot chocolate and a latte, please?" Hakyeon asked politely.

As Hakyeon paid for the drinks, Taekwoon scanned the room, staying close to Hakyeon's side. It was in his nature to automatically search his surroundings for any potential threat, but there were only ordinary, unremarkable humans sitting around the café. It made Taekwoon jittery, knowing that he had enemies, but not being able to find them.

With the loss of his wings, he was weaker than he had ever been before and he knew would still be weak, even after he finished recovering from his wings being stripped. Whatever magic wings held, they made an Angel faster and stronger than humans and even some Demons. He wondered if he would be able to protect himself in the state he was in now, let alone anyone else.

"Shall we find a table?"

Taekwoon blinked down, yanked out of his reverie to see Hakyeon standing next to him, holding a steaming drink in each hand. Taekwoon hadn't even noticed that their order had been ready. He was really slipping.

Hakyeon led them to a tale in the back corner. After they seated themselves, Hakyeon pushed Taekwoon's coffee across the table to him and began to sip his own.

Taekwoon gingerly took a sip of the coffee and promptly made a face. Hakyeon had been right, his coffee was much better.

"It's been almost two months," Hakyeon said suddenly. He was staring into his cup so intently that Taekwoon was surprised that it didn't spontaneously combust.

"What has?" Taekwoon asked.

Hakyeon turned his cup nervously in his hands, his face curiously flushing pink. "We met two and a half months ago," he said in a rush. "So it's been almost two months since I. . . . We.... Since we started. . . ." He trailed off, his face flushing even darker.

Taekwoon waited patiently, knowing that Hakyeon would reach his point when he was ready. He just hoped that he wouldn't explode first which, judging by the alarming shade of red he was turning, was a valid concern.

"So. . . . I was. . . . Um. . . ." Hakyeon stammered. "I just. . . . Are we a couple?" he finally burst out.

Taekwoon's eyes widened in surprise as several conversations around them quieted at the loud outburst. Hakyeon ducked his head, still blushing until the conversations began to pick back up. He looked back up, nervously meeting Taekwoon's steady gaze.

"Yes."

Hakyeon blinked. "I- we are?" he asked.

"Mm."

"Well, I just. . . . I didn't know if Angels did anything like relationships or boyfriends and girlfriends."

"We do."

"Really?" A smile was starting to spread across Hakyeon's face. "And you want to be with me? You're sure?"

Taekwoon nodded slowly. "Are you?" he countered softly.

Hakyeon seemed slightly stung by the question, despite the fact that he had just asked Taekwoon the same thing. "Of course I'm sure!" he said. "It's not like I would have gone around the last two months making out with you if I wasn't! I'm not the kind of person to jump into things like this, I think things through, unlike some-"

Taekwoon leaned across the table and effectively shut Hakyeon up with his lips.

******

That night Taekwoon woke up to see Hakyeon curled up on the floor next to the bed, just like always. Taekwoon had fallen asleep almost as soon as they had gotten back to the apartment that afternoon and so he hadn't had time to bring up sleeping arrangements. Now, as he watched Hakyeon breathing slowly and steadily on the hard floor he felt a pang of guilt.

He silently got out of bed and gently lifted Hakyeon into his arms, setting him on the bed. He tucked the covers in around Hakyeon before climbing in beside him.

Hakyeon's eyes cracked open slightly and he smiled, wiggling closer. Taekwoon wrapped his arms around Hakyeon, who was beginning to nuzzle his face gently against the side of Taekwoon's neck.

"I'm definitely not bothering with the floor again," Hakyeon mumbled.

That was the last noise Taekwoon heard before sleep overtook him again.


	12. Chapter 12

Jaehwan loved humans. They were just so ridiculous and adorable. They would get worked up over the stupidest things, but then they would just throw their lives away on a whim. It never ceased to entertain him, the extent that they would go for 'love'.

All the same, it was a weakness that he never had expected from Wonshik. He used to be ice. For fucks sake, this was the man who had sold out two of his rival arms dealers for being spies for the Angels and watched without so much as a blink while they and their families had been dragged screaming to the nest for execution.

Even Jaehwan had winced a little at that one.

But then a year ago this Angel- what was his name? Bingbong? Bongo? Beanbutt? something like that- had shown up and it had all gone downhill from there.

Of course, Jaehwan hadn't known until he had met Hongbong at Wonshik's shop that the Angel was behind Wonshik's transformation. All he knew was that for the past year, Wonshik was becoming increasingly soft, hesitating to do things that he hadn't thought twice about before. And now here he was, not only blackmailing a Demon, but willingly giving up his blood. And for what? A fucking Angel?

It was all just so entertaining.

He watched Wonshik standing in the middle of his living room, pressing at the wound on his arm to stop the bleeding. He wondered what he should do next. It would be amusing to turn him in anyway, just to see the look on his face, but then he would just have a useless vile of blood sitting in his apartment. Blood control wasn't any fun if the person you were trying to control was dead. That just turned into resurrection, which was way more trouble than it was worth.

Jaehwan opened his mouth to speak, intending to suggest they go eat some sushi, which would probably surprise Wonshik just as much as turning him in, when a voice across the room said, "What exactly are you planning on doing with a jar of blood?"

Jaehwan yelped and whirled around. Standing in the doorway was the scrawny, dark-haired human kid from Wonshik's shop. Jaehwan had forgotten all about him.

But there he was, standing in the doorway, looking back and forth between Wonshik and Jaehwan who were both staring at him open mouthed.

"Sanghyuk, why the hell are you here?" Wonshik asked.

"And how the fuck did you get inside without me noticing?" Jaehwan added.

Sanghyuk shrugged. "I've kind of been trying to stay as far away from the apartment as much as possible recently. I was wandering around today when I saw you, Wonshik. So I followed you. I saw you come here and talk to you," he nodded to Jaehwan. "After you went inside, I waited, but you didn't come out, so I got worried and I thought I'd better check on you."

"You've been following me?" Wonshik asked blankly. "I can sense when people follow me."

"Who cares about that?" Jaehwan burst out. God, humans were so annoying sometimes. "I just want to know how you got into my fucking house without me sensing it! I have spells set up, I can sense shit from a two mile radius around here!"

"I don't know, I just walked in," Sanghyuk said, furrowing his brow in confusion.

Jaehwan strode forward, stopping directly in front of Sanghyuk. The boy's eyes widened and he leaned back. Jaehwan ignored his discomfort and leaned forward, sniffing at him. "You can see me and the feather-heads, so that must mean you've got the Sight, but that doesn't explain you getting past my spells. Have you met anyone strange in the past several day? Or is there any point that you can't remember what you were doing?"

"Um. No?" Sanghyuk looked at Wonshik in a silent plea for help.

Wonshik moved forward and pushed Jaehwan back. "Leave him alone, there's no spell or curse on him. It wasn't his fault he got past your spells, you should just have them checked."

"Hm," Jaehwan said, narrowing his eyes at Sanghyuk as he took a step back.

Wonshik moved forward, giving Jaehwan a frown before placing a hand on Sanghyuk's shoulder. "Is everything alright? Is Hongbin alright? And Taekwoon and Hakyeon?"

Sanghyuk made a face. "Hongbin hasn't come back yet, but Taekwoon and Hakyeon are fine. More than fine, actually."

Wonshi frowned. "What do you mean?"

"They keep kissing," Sanghyuk said, a disgusted look on his face. "They're adorable and it's really gross."

Jaehwan let out a surprised laugh. "Angel boy is getting some? Good for him!"

Wonshik grinned. "I honestly can't say I'm surprised with the way they were watching each other. But Hongbin hasn't been back at all?"

Sanghyuk shook his head. "No."

Jaehwan walked back over to the couch and threw himself down on it. "Stop panicking," he drawled. "Feather-head can handle himself just fine. Although you probably already know that," he said, leering at Wonshik.

Wonshik glared at Jaehwan. He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a banging on the door.

Wonshik turned to look at the door as Jaehwan sat bolt upright. "Are you expecting someone?" Wonshik asked.

"What the fuck is wrong with the spells around my house?" Jaehwan griped.

He was about to stand up when there was a splintering crash and the door was blasted open. Five men burst into the room, looking around them. Five pairs of red eyes zeroed in on Jaehwan, then turned their attention to Wonshik and Snaghyuk. Jaehwan's heart sank as he recognized them as hunters from his nest.

"Jaehwan," one of the men stepped forward. "What are you doing? Isn't this the human we've been hunting?"

Jaehwan stood up slowly. "Yes, it's him," he agreed.

"And why haven't you brought him in?"

"No particular reason," Jaehwan shrugged. "We were just chatting."

"Chatting," the man repeated in disbelief. Jaehwan grinned at look on his face.

The Demon frowned at him. "We'll discuss this later." He turned to the men behind him. "Get them."

The four men moved forward toward Wonshik and Sanghyuk. As one of them reached for Sanghyuk, and as the boy flinched back and Jaehwan felt his legs move. He was across the room slapping the man's hand away before he could register his movement.

The Demons stared at him in shocked silence.

"What's wrong with you?" one of them asked.

Jaehwan sighed. Damn oath. "This is really awkward, but I'm afraid I can't let you take the kid. Feel free to take Wonshik, though."

"You can't let us take him?" the Demon repeated in disbelief, his eyes narrowing.

Jaehwan shrugged. "Yeah, sorry."

The Demon took a step toward him. "Is this treason, Jaehwan?" he asked softly.

Jaehwan shook his head. "Not exactly."

"I think it is. Step aside, or I'll have to take you in too."

Jaehwan stilled, a grin spreading across his face. The Demons in front of him shifted nervously and from the corner of his eye he saw Wonshik pull Sanghyuk back, away from them.

"I'm twice as old as all of you and am more powerful than all of you combined. You really think you can take me in?" Jaehwan asked softly.

The Demon didn't bother answering, but lunged forward. He stopped mid stride as he met Jaehwan's eyes, gasping before he crumpled to the ground. Jaehwan looked up at the other four. Each of them froze in place before crumpling to the ground.

Jaehwan sighed and turned to look at Wonshik and Sanghyuk, who were gaping at him like a couple of fish. The expression humans got sometimes were really bizarre. "Now see what you two made me do," Jaehwan sighed.

"What exactly did you do?" Sanghyuk gasped.

"I glamoured them. I had to use a pretty heavy one on them too." He looked down with distaste at the prone figures on his floor. He really hated it when people passed out on his floor.

"I should probably kill them, but I'm already going to be considered a traitor after this little escapade, so I'd better not make it worse." He glared at Wonshik. "I hope you realize that I'm going to have to go on the run now too. As soon as these idiots wake up, they're going to go straight back to the nest to tattle and then there's going to be a hit ordered on me, too."

Sanghyuk stepped forward, ignoring the look of warning that Wonshik was giving him. "I know a place that you can lay low," he said.

Jaehwan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And where might that be?"

Sanghyuk shrugged, smiling. "My place."


	13. Chapter 13

"What the hell?"

Hongbin didn't know what he had expected to find when he got back to Hakyeon and Sanghyuk's apartment after being gone for several weeks, but this wasn't it.

Taekwoon was sitting on the sofa in the tiny living room with Hakyeon reclined next to him, his head resting on Taekwoon's lap. Taekwoon was running his fingers across Hakyeon's hair in soft caresses while staring intently at the TV which was playing an old episode of Crayon Shin-chan.

Wonshik was sitting cross legged in front of the sofa, using the coffee table as surface to spread out a huge assortment of spells, most of which looked to be illegal. He was combining and mixing them together in what looked like toxic mixes, completely intent on what he was doing.

But strangest of all was seeing Sanghyuk and Jaehwan, sprawled on their stomachs in front of the TV, surrounded by a sea of Legos. They had built a miniature city that looked disturbingly like the pictures Hongbin had seen of the Great Demon's palace.

All five of them looked up at Hongbin's gasp. There was a moment of silence before Jaehwan chirped, "Hongbong, you're back!"

Wonshik groaned as he scrambled to his feet. "Hongbin, Jaehwan. I told you, his name is Hongbin."

"Hongbin, Shmongbin," Jaehwan muttered, turning back to his Legos.

Sanghyuk and Hakyeon smiled their welcome up at him and Taekwoon murmured, "Welcome back," before turning back to the TV.

Wonshik walked over to him, grinning widely. "I'm glad you're back," he said. "I was getting a little worried."

Hongbin nodded, still staring distractedly at the scene in the living room. "Yeah, I had a lot to do. What exactly happened here?" he gestured to the other four.

"Um, well, Taekwoon and Hakyeon are inseparable now-"

"I'm not exactly surprise by that," Hongbin said, cutting Wonshik off. "I'm more concerned as to why there's a Demon playing with Legos on the floor."

Jaehwan looked up at him and stuck out his tongue. Sanghyuk tossed a Lego at Jaehwan’s head.

"Yeah, that's kind of a funny story," Wonshik said, scratching the back of his head. "Budge up, you two," he said to Taewkoon and Hakyeon. "Let him sit down."

Hakyeon sat up, leaning against Taekwoon who wrapped an arm around his shoulders, leaving the end of the sofa for Hongbin.

He sat down, bemused, and Wonshik sat down on the floor at his feet.

"So basically Jaehwan and I made a deal that he would keep his nest from hunting the rest of you down. But then Sanghyuk showed up-"

"It wasn't my fault!" Sanghyuk interjected, clearly a statement that had been repeated frequently. Jaehwan reached out and ruffled the boy's hair, earning him a glare as Wonshik continued as if he hadn't been interrupted.

"After Sanghyuk showed up, some Demons from the nest showed up, too. Jaehwan stopped them from taking Sanghyuk and basically now he's on the run from them for committing treason."

"And you let him stay here?" Hongbin asked, incredulously.

"It was Sanghyuk's idea."

"And you're okay with this?" Hongbin asked, turning to look at Taewkoon around the snuggling Hakyeon.

"No," was his soft reply.

"He hasn't stopped glaring at me since I got here," Jaehwan complained loudly. "He doesn't trust me at all."

"Can you really blame him?" Wonshik asked.

"What!" Jaehwan exclaimed, clearly hurt. "I haven't done anything wrong since I here." He began to tick things off on his fingers. "I haven't killed, stolen, glamored, or wrecked anything or anyone since I got here. I've been a model citizen."

"That's what worries me," Taekwoon said darkly.

"And what exactly did you have to do to get him to protect us?" Hongbin asked Wonshik before Jaehwan could reply.

Wonshik shifted his position on the floor looking uncomfortable and not meeting Hongbin's eyes. "Nothing much," he mumbled.

"He gave Jaehwan a vial of his blood," Sanghyuk supplied helpfully from the floor, earning himself a glare from Wonshik as Hongbin leapt to his feet.

"Are you fucking insane?" he yelled at Wonshik. "What were you thinking?"

"That's what Taekwoon said, too," Hakyeon interjected from the sofa.

"It's not a big deal," Wonshik muttered.

"Like hell it isn't!" Hongbin curled his hands into fists, trying to stop himself from grabbing Wonshik by the front of his shirt and shaking him for being so stupid.

"I don't know what you're all so worked up about," Jaehwan said. "It's not like I have it anymore."

Wonshik looked as surprised as Hongbin felt. "Wait, what?"

"I didn't have time to grab it before we left my house and since the other gentlemen from my nest blew up my house and all of my belongings after the glamour wore off, I can safely say that the vial of blood has been destroyed. And since our deal was for me to get one vial of blood in return for watching out for your new Angel and human pets, I can't get another one from you," he added somewhat sourly.

"And you didn't think to tell me this before now?" Wonshik demanded.

Jaehwan shrugged. "It was fun to watch you all squirm and fidget." He seem completely unconcerned that everyone in the room glaring at him.

"What about you then?" Hongbin asked Taekwoon, turning his back on the Demon. "Are you feeling better?"

"Mm."

"He's getting a lot better," Hakyeon interpreted. "The wounds are healing nicely and he's getting his strength back."

"Good thing too, since he follows you around like a puppy," Jaehwan muttered, smirking.

Taekwoon ignored him and turned to Hongbin. "How is the Citadel?"

Hongbin's face grew hard as he sank back into his seat. "It's bad. The Demonic activity around here is still increasing and none of us can pinpoint where it's coming from. They want you back, but they won't admit it. I spent most of the last two weeks being questioned by the Council as to whether or not you're trying to win your wings back, what happened to make you break the rules to begin with, whether I think you'll be inclined to do it again. . . ." Hongbin trailed off, shaking his head. "It's ridiculous. They get so caught up in the rules and their pride that they forget that what they're really supposed to be doing is protecting people."

Taekwoon shrugged. "That's what happens when you're in a battle for long enough. Individual lives stop mattering and all you can see is the big picture with the greater good."

"I don't think you really buy into that," Hongbin said.

"Maybe not," Taekwoon agreed. "But the Council does."

"It sucks for you all that you have a Council," Jaehwan said from the flood as he stacked up a new pile of Legos into a tower. "All we have is the Great Demon. It's pretty great, actually. Sure it's a bit more violent than your Council, but at least we get to have more fun since it's not as stuffy."

"Speaking of having fun, you wouldn’t happen to know anything about the increase in nest activity around here, would you?" Hongbin asked, narrowing his eyes at the Demon.

Jaehwan looked far from concerned about the accusation in Hongbin’s voice as he grinned up at the Angel. "Can't say that I do. I was actually talking to Wonshik about that the first day I met you when Taekwoon attacked me in Wonshik's shop."

Hongbin looked down at Wonshik who nodded slightly, confirming Jaehwan's story to be true. Hongbin sighed and sank into the back onto the sofa. "That puts me right back to where I was before with no leads. If I don't figure this out, they're going to send in some Warriors. And you know what that means," he said darkly to Taekwoon who nodded grimly.

"What?" Hakyeon asked, looking from one to the other. "What does it mean?"

"It means that there will be a battle," Taekwoon said. "And when Angels and Demons battle, they destroy anyone and everything in their way."

"Okay, let's not do that," Sanghyuk said, watching them wide eyed.

"Why not? It sounds like fun," Jaehwan said mildly.

Hongbin looked down at him in disbelief. From the corner of his eye he saw Taekwoon freeze, his hand stilling from where he had been tracing circles with his fingers absentmindedly on Hakyeon's arm.

"Innocent people dying is not fun," Hongbin said, the steel note in his voice made even Jaehwan look up in surprise.

"Relax, Hipbip," he said. "Everybody dies at some point."

Taekwoon was across the room before anyone could stop him, almost toppling Hakyeon off of the sofa. He grabbed Jaehwan by the front of the shirt and yanked him up, slamming him against the wall, making Jaehwan wince as his head cracked against the wall. Sanghyuk scrambled to his feet, stumbling backward to get out of the way.

"Never say that in front of me again," Taekwoon snarled.

Jaehwan met Taekwoon's glare with one of his own. "A little touchy about death, feather-head?" He taunted, his red eyes burning. "Maybe you should have thought of that before you decided to start fucking a human."

Hongbin stood up, Wonshik moving with him, but Hakyeon was already half way across the room. He placed him hand gently on Taekwoon's shoulder. "It's okay," he murmured. "It's okay, just let him go."

The tension drained out of Taekwoon at Hakyeon's touch and he dropped his hands from Jaehwan's shirt, taking a step back. Hongbin could see the weakness taking ahold of him again as his anger dissipated.

Without looking at anyone or saying another word, Taekwoon took Hakyeon's hand and pulled him out of the room. A second later Hongbin heard the front door close behind them.

Jaehwan smoothed out his wrinkled shirt, a scowl on his face. "Fucking feather-brain," he muttered before stalking out of the room. Sanghyuk scampered after him and the front door slammed shut for a second time as they left.

Hongbin turned and looked at Wonshik who had sat back down on the floor and was shaking his head slowly. "I'm starting to think that there's a really good reason why Angels and Demons aren't usually roommates," he said.

Hongbin sat down on the sofa as Wonshik settled back down on the floor in front of him, chuckling wearily. "It's worse for Taekwoon," he said. "Messengers don't really come into contact with Demons often, but Warriors see them all the time. He knows what they're capable of."

"We're going to need to keep an eye on them so they don't rip each other to shreds," Wonshik said wearily.

"Agreed," Hongbin said. "Hakyeon and Sanghyuk seem to calm them down, but I'm a little bit concerned about them getting caught in the crossfire, too."

"So now we're going to be self-appointed babysitters for an Angel and a Demon who don't know how to play nicely," Wonshik said, leaning backward so that his back was resting on Hongbin's legs.

Hongbin tried to ignore the fluttering in his stomach at the touch as he replied, "This is going to be interesting."


	14. Chapter 14

Hakyeon trotted along behind Taekwoon as he pulled him away from the apartment with long strides. He still hadn't dropped Hakyeon's hand, keeping a tight grip on it. Hakyeon glanced up at him and saw that he was glaring straight in front of him, his jaw clenched. Hakyeon had never seen him angry before, but it didn't scare him. Nothing about his Angel had ever scared him.

As Taekwoon stalked through the city, getting further and further from the apartment, Hakyeon knew that he had no idea where he was going, just that he wanted to get away. He finally pulled Hakyeon into a narrow alleyway, noise from the busy street outside muffled by the brick walls surrounding them.

Taekwoon pushed Hakyeon against the cold brick wall, placing a hand on either side of him to pin him there. He stepped in close, breathing heavily. Hakyeon pressed backward against the wall, but couldn't move away even if he had wanted to. Taekwoon stared at him in silence, his golden eyes blazing.

"Um, Taekwoon? Are you okay?" Hakyeon squeaked.

Taekwoon leaned forward, nuzzling against Hakyeon's neck and breathing in deeply. "I hate Demons," he mumbled against Hakyeon's skin.

Hakyeon tentatively raised his hands, wrapping one around Taekwoon's shoulder, careful of his still-sore wounds, and used the other to pet down Taekwoon's hair.

Taekwoon's make a soft noise in the back of his throat, almost like a purr. Hakyeon was glad that he had discovered how much Taekwoon loved having Hakyeon touch his hair.

"Jaehwan was right though," Hakyeon said softly. "He hasn't done anything wrong since he started staying with us."

"That we know of," Taekwoon said darkly.

"He's been really kind to Sanghyuk, too." Hakyeon wasn't sure why he was defending Jaehwan, but the Demon honestly hadn't done anything to any of them since he had moved in. He didn't understand the depth of the hatred that Taekwoon seemed to harbor for him.

Taekwoon pulled back, looking closely at Hakyeon. "You think I'm prejudice." It wasn't a question.

Hakyeon shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe a little bit? I mean, I understand that you've been training to fight Demons your whole life, but maybe not all of them are evil."

Taekwoon shook his head. "It goes against a Demon's nature to show any kind of humanity or kindness."

"Angels aren't exactly human either though, are they? And you went against your nature when you saved me, right?"

Taekwoon blinked. "That was different."

"Maybe not as different as you think," Hakyeon said gently.

Taekwoon blinked again before leaning forward, pressing his chest against Hakyeon's and kissing him hard. His hands slid into Hakyeon's hair, holding his head in place while Hakyeon dropped his hands to Taekwoon's belt, looping his fingers into the belt loops and tugging him forward so that Taekwoon's entire body was pressed flush against Hakyeon's.

When Taekwoon finally broke the kiss, they were both out of breath and flushed. Hakyeon rested his head on Taekwoon's chest, feeling the Angel wrap his arms around him. It was comforting, making him feel safe and wanted.

"Taekwoon," he said softly.

"Mm?"

"Will you tell about the Citadel?"

Taekwoon froze. His life in the Citadel was something that neither of them had spoken of, and, though they had come near it several times, Taekwoon had always managed to avoid it.

"I'll tell you," Taekwoon finally said, surprising Hakyeon, and taking a step back. "But not here."

"I think I saw a café around the corner, is that okay?"

Taekwoon nodded and allowed Hakyeon to take his hand and lead him out of the alley and down the street.

The café was tiny and nearly deserted. It had a counter at one end, a few tables in the middle, and a fireplace at the other end. The walls were brick and were covered in scribbled graffiti from past customers.

Hakyeon pushed Taekwoon down gently at a table in the back before going to order their drinks, ordering their usual: hot chocolate for himself and a latte for Taekwoon. He grinned to himself while he waited for the barista to finish making the drinks, remembering Taekwoon's first introduction to coffee. It had all been downhill from there. It was definitely an addiction.

He walked back to the table, careful not to spill the drinks and set the chipped, steaming hot mugs down on the table before sitting down across from Taekwoon. He wrapped his hands around his mug, cupping the warmth of it between his hands as he watched as Taekwoon stare down at the steam circling out of his mug in dancing ribbons.

"The Citadel is more beautiful than anything you could possibly imagine," Taekwoon began softly. "It's a city made of pure white stone. Jewels and gold are encrusted into the pavement and at the heart of the city there is a tower where the Council sits in judgment over us. They've been in power since the beginning of time, watching over the universe. Unfortunately, Demons have also existed for nearly that long as well.

"We've been fighting them since the dawn of time, although in recent years the battles have gotten to be more subtle than they used to be. Now we're rarely destroy towns or cities, but long ago we were lucky if entire countries didn't get destroyed in the crossfire."

"Have you ever tried to take the fighting somewhere else? Like where the Demons come from or something?" Hakyeon asked.

Taekwoon nodded. "We've tried, but we can't find the entrance into the Underworld. It's incredible how well they've hidden it," he said, grudgingly. "Millions of years, and we're no closer to finding it."

"So what do you do, then?"

"We keep fighting, die in battle, and train our children to do the same. When an Angel is born, it lives with its parents for the first eight years of its life. Then sometime during the eighth year, it's taken before the council, along with all of the other Angels that have come of age, and then it is chosen to be either a Messenger or a Warrior. The ceremony is just a test to see what your physical and mental strengths and abilities are, and you are placed accordingly.

"Hongbin and I grew up together and went through the test in the same year. We both always knew where we would be assigned and even, though Messengers and Warriors usually keep to their own kind, Hongbin and I didn't. We’re friends."

He said it defensively and Hakyeon wondered how many times he'd had to explain why he spent his time with a Messenger. Hakyeon said nothing, just smiling encouragingly at Taekwoon.

Taekwoon continued talking. "A Messenger's training is essentially learning how to be in dangerous situations without getting caught. It's a lot like those detective shows you keep making me watch.

"A Warrior's training, however, takes exactly one hundred years to complete. We're taught how to fight, destroy, and kill in every possible way. We're taught not to feel, not to care. All that matters is the mission, not the lives that it might effect." Taekwoon looked into the distance, his eyes glazing over. Hakyeon reached out, placing his hand over Taekwoon's. Taekwoon blinked, turning his attention back to Hakyeon.

"It's not that bad," he said, noticing Hakyeon's look of sympathy. "We don't even realize that we're turning into killing machines, which is good because that keeps us alive. That's why we’re taken with the Madness if we lose our wings; they are our first line of defense and without them we lose our sense of self."

"Do Messengers go insane if they lose thier wings too?" Hakyeon asked.

Taekwoon nodded. "Maybe not as fast, but their existence depends on their wings as well. They find the Demon's nests through whatever means necessary and we eradicate them."

"So Warriors are basically taught to be heartless?" Hakyeon asked.

Taekwoon nodded.

"But you didn't seem heartless when we met."

"Exactly," Taekwoon murmured. "The fact that I cared what happened to one human was enough to show that I was weakening. Even if I hadn't shown any signs of weakness before," he added bitterly.

"Were you good at what you did?" Hakyeon asked. He didn't like the hard, painful look in Taekwoon's eyes, but he wanted to understand.

Taekwoon nodded slowly. "I was the best," he murmured. "My teacher was the general of the entire Warrior army. He hadn't taken on a student in over three centuries, but when I came to the tower when I was eight, he told them that he would teach me and turn me into the best Warrior the Citadel had seen in a millennia. He succeeded too, which is why it was even more humiliating for him when I saved you."

"I'm sorry," Hakyeon murmured, looking down at their joined hands.

Taekwoon laced their fingers together, squeezing Hakyeon's hand gently. "I'm not. I didn't remember that I had humanity, Hakyeon," he said. "You helped me to remember that there's more to life than killing Demons. I wouldn't go back to the way I used to be, not even for my wings."

Hakyeon opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by his cellphone buzzing loudly in his pocket. He frowned and pulled it out glancing at the number. "It's Wonshik," he said.

"Mm," Taekwoon said, leaning back in the chair. Evidently he was done talking, even though he still hadn't let go of Hakyeon's hand, so Hakyeon picked up the call.

"Hello?"

"Hakyeon! Thank god!" It was Hongbin's voice that greeted him, sounding out of breath and frantic. "Is Taekwoon with you?" In the background he could here people shouting, one of whom was definitely Wonshik and the other sounded suspiciously like Jaehwan.

Hakyeon glanced at Taekwoon who was watching him impassively. "He's here. What's wrong?"

"You two need to get here quick. It Sanghyuk."

Hakyeon felt his heart drop at Hongbin’s next words.

"The Demons have him."


	15. Chapter 15

Wonshik leaned against the wall, watching as Hongbin paced back and forth outside the club, a black duffle bag slung over his shoulder. Jaehwan was sitting on the steps with his head in his hand, uncharacteristically quiet. It was dark out, the sun having set several hours before.

"Here they come," Hongbin said, stopping.

Jaehwan looked up and Wonshik shrugged off the wall as they watched Taekwoon and Hakyeon walk toward them. Taekwoon looked even more grumpy than usual, but even Wonshik recoiled at the look on Hakyeon's face as he marched up to Jaehwan.

"Um-" was all Jaehwan managed to get out before Hakyeon had gripped him by the front of his shirt, pulled him to his feet, and shoved him into the wall.

"He was with you," Hakyeon snarled. "Where the hell were you when they took him?"

Jaehwan batted Hakyeon's hands away and dusted off his shirt as if Hakyeon had dirtied him. "As I just explained to Wonshik and Hongbin before you got here, I had no idea that the kid had followed me until I'd been here for awhile. I don't know how he does that, I can always tell when people are following me," he said, somewhat disgruntled.

"And I suppose you didn't notice that there were other Demons in the club as well?" Hakyeon practically spat.

"They came in a couple minutes after I noticed Sanghyuk. And for the record, I tried to send him home, but he said he wasn't going until I came with him."

"Then why didn't you?" Taekwoon growled, stepping forward so that he was standing protectively at Hakyeon's side.

Jaehwan threw his hands up in frustration. "Because we were ambushed by a pack of Demons! And before you ask, I couldn't follow them because they knocked me out before I could even glamour them! As soon as I woke up, I called Wonshik, they showed up, and while Hongbin called you, Wonshik interrogated me. Does that clear things up, or would you like to waste more time yelling at me?"

"Do you know who took them?" Hongbin asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Before they bashed me over the head, I recognized them from my old nest, so my guess is they took him home with them."

"And you know where that is," Taewkoon said, his voice flat.

Jaehwan nodded.

"Then let's go," Hakyeon said impatiently.

"We've been over this, you aren't going," Taekwoon said darkly, turning to him.

"We don't have time for you two to have a lovers’ spat," Jaehwan snapped. "You've all already wasted enough time yelling at me. Anybody who wants to take part in Operation Rescue Baby Hyukkie Before He Dies, follow me." He turned and began to stalk down the street.

"Wait," Hongbin called. Jaehwan turned and Hongbin held up the duffle bag he was carrying. "You're probably going to want one of these."

Jaehwan looked into the bag, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Where did you get all of this?"

Inside was an assortment of weapons, mostly swords and knives, but also some spell.

"I had a lot of leftover stuff from my shop," Wonshik said, pulling out a couple spells and weighing them in his hand.

Jaehwan gingerly selected several throwing knives before turning to walk back down the street. Taekwoon pulled out a pair of twin swords, the handles ornately carved, before reaching back in and carefully selecting a dagger that he reluctantly handed to Hakyeon.

"Why do I get the feeling that following him is a terrible idea?" Wonshik muttered, glancing at Jaehwan's retreating back as Hongbin selected a sword before closing the bag.

"We don't exactly have a choice," Hakyeon said. He and Taekwoon shared a long look which seemed to hold an entire argument that Hakyeon obviously won when Taekwoon took a step back with a glare.

"Let's go," he said gruffly, turning to follow Jaehwan without waiting to see if the other three followed him.

Jaehwan led them through the dark city without pause, heading for the outskirts. When he finally stopped, they were almost to an abandoned shopping district. It had been closed for years, but no one had ever torn it down.

"We're almost there," Jaehwan said. "I can mask our entrance so they can't sense us entering, but it's still going to be dangerous. Anybody that doesn't want to go, turn back now."

Taekwoon looked pointedly at Hakyeon, but Hakyeon shook his head stubbornly. "We'll be safer in larger numbers. Right?" he asked Jaehwan uncertainly.

The Demon nodded. "In theory, yes, the larger the group, the better chance we have of living."

He made to turn back around, but Taekwoon reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "I'm going against everything I believe in by trusting that you won't betray us here," he said softly. "If you make me regret it, I will flay you alive."

He dropped his hand and Jaehwan turned away, muttering something about how distrustful people were nowadays.

"Do you think he'll betray us?" he asked softly as they walked after the Demon.

Hongbin frowned, thinking about the question. "Oddly enough, no. And I really hope I'm right because Taekwoon wasn't kidding, he will flay Jaehwan if he puts Hakyeon in danger."

They followed Jaehwan deeper into the shopping district, the pull of Demonic energy growing stronger with each step until he finally stopped outside of an abandoned supermarket. There were no lights on, the paint was peeling off the front of the building, and parts of the roof were caving in. Wonshik could feel the Demonic energy pouring out of it. It made his skin prickle as it swirled around him like a breeze, pulling at him, suffocating him. God, he hated Demons sometimes.

In front of him he could see the energy was effecting Hakyeon badly as well. He saw Taekwoon reach out and put his arm around Hakyeon, pulling his shaking form closer. Demonic energy always effected humans worse than it did any other species.

Hongbin stepped closer to Wonshik, looking at him in concern. He took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on the Angel's soft, even breathing, letting it steady him.

Jaehwan was standing in front and looked up at the building. "Home sweet home," he muttered. He looked back at the others. "We're going to have to go down to the basement since that's usually where we keep prisoners. Once we're inside all of you need to stay close. If you wander off I won't be able to cover your presences."

"Wait, are you just planning on waltzing in the front door?" Wonshik demanded.

"Of course, we sealed off the other entrances years ago," Jaehwan replied, looking at Wonshik like he was an idiot. He turned back and walked up to the door with the rest of them following closely behind.

Jaehwan reached out and pushed the door open. It swung back on its hinges silently, revealing a dark interior, which he entered without hesitation. Taekwoon slid one of his swords into the belt at his hip, but kept a tight grip on the other as he tucked Hakyeon closer to his side and followed.

Hongbin glanced at Wonshik. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" he murmured.

Wonshik nodded. "Let's just do this."

He started to follow Taekwoon and Hakyeon but stopped short when he felt a soft hand slide into his, gripping he fingers tightly. He looked at Hongbin in shock, but the Angel didn't meet his eyes. "Come on," he said simply, tugging Wonshik into the building.

The only light inside was the moonlight wthat sifted in through the windows. In the dim light, Wonshik could see Jaehwan looking around him in confusion. The inside was the supermarket was deserted, only a few empty shelves remaining to give any indication that food was once sold here. The checkout counters were still intact, but they were all broken and covered in graffiti.

"Why are there no scouts?" Jaehwan muttered. "We always leave at least two scouts up here, no matter what the rest of us are doing."

"Look," Wonshik whispered. "What's that?" He pointed to a doorway near the back of the store. Dancing golden light shone around the cracks, lighting up a patch of the wall and floor.

"That, PuddingPop, is where we're going," Jaehwan said, frowning at the door. "Does anyone else hear that?"

Wonshik listened and heard a dim droning noise coming from inside the closed door.

"Chanting," Taekwoon murmured.

"Oh, that's not good," Jaehwan said as he led them toward the door. "Mixing chanting and Demons is never, ever a good thing."

He opened the door carefully, revealing a set of winding wooden stairs leading down into a room illuminated with flickering candlelight. Wonshik couldn't see the entire room below because of the angle of the stairs, but the sounds of the chanting had grown louder.

Jaehwan looked back at the others. "Stay close," he reminded them before he began to make his way slowly down the stairs.

Wonshik brought up the rear, his right hand still clutching Hongbin's hand, but his left hand was wrapped tightly around a spell.

The angle of the stairs hid them from view of anyone in the room, but when they reached the bottoms of the stairs, Jaehwan dove for cover behind a stack of old, mold-ridden boxes, gesturing for the others to follow. As they crouched low, Wonshik carefully peeked out to look into the room.

It was a huge storage room with high ceilings and a concrete floor. Termite-eaten wooden floor to ceiling beams stood around the room, and forgotten merchandise, like the boxed they were hiding behind, were shoved against the walls. Candles had been lit all over the room, illuminating the scene that was taking place in the very center of the room.

What looked like the entire nest stood in a loose circle around a diagram that had been drawn onto the floor with white wax. The Demons were all wearing black cloaks with the hoods pulled up over their heads as they chanted. In the center of the circle lay Sanghyuk, his hands and feet bound and a gag in his mouth as he looked around at his captors, his eyes wide.

Wonshik heard a strangled noise and saw Taekwoon holding Hakyeon down with one arm while muffling his mouth with his other hand to keep him from springing out from their hiding place.

"They can't be doing what I think they're doing," Hongbin gasped as one of the Demons stepped into the circle, a knife held loosely in his hand, the blade glittering in the candle light.

He raised it up and brought it down in a wide arc, slashing his own hand open and letting the crimson blood splatter across the floor. Then he turned to Sanghyuk.

"Tell me that this isn't what I think it is," Hongbin hissed again, even more urgently to Jaehwan.

Hakyeon and Wonshik glanced at each other as the other three looked out at the scene with matching expressions of horror.

"We need to stop this," Taekwoon said, as he began to raise up.

"It's too late," Jaehwan gasped, his expression sick as the Demon raised the knife above Sanghyuk and sliced down. Sanghyuk's cry of pain was muffled by his gag as blood pour from the long gash in his arm. As his blood seeped onto the wax diagram on the floor, the room began to shake and the candles flickered.

"Oh my god, what have they done?" Jaehwan moaned as wind began to roar around them.

In the center of the diagram next to Sanghyuk a cloud of smoke began to swirl, growing more solid by the second.

"Jaehwan, we can't let this happen!" Hongbin had to yell over the roar of the wind that ripped around them.

"Stay where you are, all of you!" the Demon screamed back.

The cloud of smoke next to Sanghyuk began to morph into the form of a man. The more solid he grew, the quieter the wind became and the less the room shook until finally the basement was full of deafening silence.

Then, as if someone had cut a cord holding them up, the Demons around the circle fell to their knees, bowing before the tall man standing beside Sanghyuk.

He was tall and unbelievably thin, with pale skin and raven black hair. His eyes were a deeper red than Wonshik had ever seen. Even before he glanced over and saw the sick look on Jaehwan's face, he knew who the man must be.

"Father," Jaehwan whimpered.

The Great Demon looked down at Sanghyuk and smiled, his white teeth sharply pointed like tiny daggers. He reached down and ran a pale finger across the boy's face and Wonshik clenched his hand tighter around Hongbin's as Sanghyuk flinched back.

When the Great Demon spoke, his voice was soft, even gentle, but it made Wonshik's skin crawl.

"Finally," he murmured. "I've waited so long to meet you, little Sanghyuk. My precious son."


End file.
